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Issue Home November 21, 2001 Site Home

HEADLINES:
Local Sports News
NASCAR Racing
Tony Aliano Memorial Basketball Tourney
Junior Bowling
First 200 Game!

Local Sports News
By Tom E. Robinson

SABERS FOOTBALL POST OPEN

Susquehanna Sabers football coach Ron Mulka has announced he is stepping down after a six-year run as the Sabers’ leader.

Mulka posted a 32-31 record with two post-season appearances. He is only the third coach in the thirty-three year history of the Sabers program, following Mike Hemak and Dick Bagnall.

Other than the initial hiring of Hemak, the Sabers have never gone outside the program to fill the post of head coach.

Look for an assistant coach to move into the vacancy.

CARBONDALE UPSETS TRAIL, 14-13, FOR FIRST DISTRICT TITLE

What goes around, comes around.

The Carbondale Chargers, having lost regular season games to both Riverside and Lackawanna Trail, turned the tables on both teams by winning their first District #2 championship.

Wilkes-Barre Meyers dumped Valley View, 10-3 in overtime, for their first district title, also.

Berwick used a 34-17 win over Blue Mountain for yet another district title.

All three NEPFC members advance to the Eastern Semifinals in the PIAA State Tournament.

Pittston won the Eastern Conference Class AAA title with a 52-24 win over Wyoming Area.

(See State Tournament schedule.)

STATE FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

EASTERN SEMIFINALS

CLASS AAAA: Cumberland Valley (12-0) vs. Bethlehem Catholic (10-2); Conestoga (11-1) vs. Neshaminy (12-0).

CLASS AAA: Strath Haven (12-0) vs. Berwick (10-2); Selinsgrove (11-1) vs. Manheim Central (12-0).

CLASS AA: Wyomissing (12-0) vs. Pen Argyl (12-0); Meyers (9-3) vs. St. Pius X (10-1).

CLASS A: Pius X (12-0) vs. Carbondale (10-2); Southern Columbia (12-0) vs. Camp Hill (9-3).

2ND ANNUAL TONY ALIANO TOURNEY ON TAP FOR NOVEMBER 30 AND DECEMBER 1

Winter sports on the local scene will tip-off on Friday, November 30 and Saturday, December 1 with the second annual Tony Aliano Memorial Basketball Tournament.

The same four teams from last year return, Susquehanna, Blue Ridge, Carbondale and Lakeland.

The Sabers’ gym will again be the site of the event.

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NASCAR Racing

BOBBY LABONTE Wins After Nadeau Runs Out Of Gas, Hampton, GA – Bobby Labonte inherited victory in Sunday's NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway when Jerry Nadeau ran out of fuel half a lap from the checkered flag. Nadeau had earlier passed Labonte on Lap 307 of the 325-lap race and pulled away to a big lead. But as he ran down the backstretch on the final lap, Nadeau started wiggling his No. 25 Chevrolet.

He was out of fuel.

The car slowed entering Turn three and Bobby Labonte, who was over 2-seconds behind kept digging in his No. 18 Pontiac. He caught and passed Nadeau on the front stretch, just a few hundred yards from the finish line for his second victory of the season.

"We've had some unseasonable bad luck, but finally it came our way," said Labonte.

Labonte, who led only 13 laps, came from the 39th starting position.

"It's amazing," said crew chief, Jimmy Makar. "We didn't have the best car. Maybe the Good Lord smiled on us. Maybe this is what we need to turn us around."

Both Sterling Marlin and Kevin Harvick passed Nadeau before he coasted across the finish line.

Nadeau, who wound up fourth had to be pushed into the garage area by a wrecker.

"We just didn't get fuel mileage today," said Nadeau. "I don't know why, half a lap to go and I run out of fuel. I've seen it happen to others, but you never think it can happen to you, but we've got to go on to New Hampshire."

Ward Burton came in sixth.

Top ten finishing order: 1. Bobby Labonte, 2. Sterling Marlin, 3. Kevin Harvick, 4. Jerry Nadeau, 5. Ward Burton, 6. Jeff Gordon, 7. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 8. Dale Jarrett, 9. Tony Stewart, 10. Jeff Burton.

GORDON Clinches His Fourth Championship – Jeff Gordon, who finished sixth ran strong early in the race but was back in 12th shortly after the final pit stop. But he still wrapped up the 2001 Winston Cup Championship, the fourth of his nine-year Winston Cup career.

Ricky Rudd, who came into the race in second in the points, needed a good finish, but he finished 35th, dropping to third behind Tony Stewart in the standings. Gordon leads Stewart by 376 points going into Friday's postponed season-ending race at New Hampshire. Rudd is now 402 behind with Marlin 418 back.

"I'm just blown away," said Gordon. " It's the fourth time, but it seems like the first, and it gets sweeter each time.

"I want to thank Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd and all the other great competitors that raced against us.

"We are all honoring heroes, and I would like to honor one. Dale Earnhardt is the one that taught me how to race for a championship. He was my hero."

Top-10 Winston Cup points leaders after 35 of 36 events: 1. J. Gordon 4984, 2. Stewart 4608, 3. Rudd 4582, 4. Marlin 4566, 5. Jarrett 4488, 6. B. Labonte 4391, 7. R. Wallace 4369, Earnhardt Jr. 4369, 9. Harvick 4316, 10. J. Burton 4282.

Gordon's other three championships came in 1995, 1997, and 1998.

KERRY EARNHARDT Wins Last ARCA Race Of Season, Hampton, GA – The results of the ARCA RE/MAX Series, "Pork, The Other White Meat 400," run Saturday, Nov. 17: 1. Kerry Earnhardt, 2. Shane Hmiel, 3. Frank Kimmel, 4. Stuart Kirby, 5. Tim Steele, 6. Jason Jarrett, 7. Ed Berrier, 8. Damon Lusk, 9. Robert Burroughs, 10. Rick Thoennes.

DODGE Teams Turn To Veterans, Hampton, GA – Two major Dodge teams announced over the weekend they would replace their rookie drivers with seasoned veterans.

Jimmy Spencer, who has driven the No. 26 Kmart Ford the past several years replaces Jason Leffler in Chip Ganassi's No. 41 Dodge. The car, which carried the number 01 during this season, is in the same shop as the No. 40 Dodge driven by Sterling Marlin.

Ray Evernham replaced 21-year-old Casey Atwood in the No. 19 Dodge with Jeremy Mayfield.

Atwood will move to the No. 7, owned by Jimmy Smith, which is switching from a Ford to Dodge.

In another move, Richard Childress announced a deal that will keep Robby Gordon in the No. 31, along with new sponsor Cingular Wireless.

Kenny Wallace signed a one-year contract with Dale Earnhardt Inc. that will make him available to fill in for at least a year for injured Steve Park in the No. 1 Chevrolet.

Bill Lester, an African-American will drive Bobby Hamilton's Dodge in the Craftsman Truck Series. He replaces Willy T. Ribbs.

WEEKEND RACING

Friday, November 23, Winston Cup New Hampshire 300, New Hampshire International Speedway, event 36 0f 36 events, 300 laps/317.4 miles, 12 noon. TV: NBC.

Racing Trivia Question: Who was the first driver to win a race this season in a Dodge?

Answer To Last Week's Question: Sometimes NASCAR stops a Busch or Winston Cup race with just a few laps remaining when there has been a wreck on the track in order to insure a competitive finish.

Gerald Hodges/the Racing Reporter is a syndicated NASCAR columnist. If you have a racing question that you would like answered send it to The Racing Reporter, P.O. Box 160711, Mobile, AL, 36616, or e-mail it to: 110335.405@compuserve.com

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Tony Aliano Memorial Basketball Tourney

The second annual Tony Aliano Memorial Basketball Tournament will be held on November 30 and December 1, at the Susquehanna Community High School. This tournament is in honor and memory of coach, Tony Aliano, who passed away in June, 1999, following an extended battle with leukemia. The four girls’ teams that will be participating in this tournament are Susquehanna Community High School, Carbondale High School, Lakeland High School, and Blue Ridge High School.

The game times for this year’s tournament are:

Friday, November 30, 5:30 - Junior Varsity (Blue Ridge vs. Lakeland); 6:45 - Varsity (Blue Ridge vs. Lakeland); 8:15 - Varsity (Susquehanna vs. Carbondale).

Saturday, December 1: 5:30 - Junior Varsity (Susquehanna vs. Carbondale); 6:45 - Varsity Consolation Game; 8:15 - Varsity Championship Game.

The cost for admission will be $3.00 for adults and $1.00 for students.

Proceeds from this tournament will go to the Tony Aliano Scholarship Fund and the Leukemia Society.

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Junior Bowling

Riverside Lanes Junior Bowling League top five results of November 17 are as follows:

LEAGUE I: C. J. Felter 173, 168; Courtney Dininny 136; Kirk Fallon 134; Dusty Barton 132; Nick Felter 114.

LEAGUE II: Shawn Norton 153, 98; Michael Lloyd 127, 98; Sarah Conroy 105, 95; Brittany Heller 97, 94; Ellen Biegert 88; Chris Peksa 88.

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First 200 Game!

C. J. Felter, a member of the Junior Bowling at Riverside Lanes, bowled a 200 game on November 11, 2001.

C. J. Is a sixth-grade student at Susquehanna Elementary School and carries an average of 153. He is the son of Steve and Theresa Felter, Franklin Avenue, Susquehanna.

Congratulations, C. J.!

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