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HEADLINES: Mount Cobb – The Blue Ridge team and Montrose standout Tara Chiarella are going back to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association cross country championships. They are taking five other Susquehanna County runners with them. Blue Ridge finished third in the Class AA girls' team standings and Chiarella was the fourth individual to cross the line during Wednesday's District 2 championships in muddy, windy - and sometimes snowy - conditions on the Scranton Municipal Golf Course. The District 2 Class AA races, featuring a strong field of 25 full boys' teams, 21 full girls' teams and individuals from several other schools, each qualify three teams and the best 15 other individuals for the state meet. Montrose's Chiarella and freshman Samantha Cudo qualified from the girls' race along with Elk Lake sophomores Rachel Owens and Ellen Squier. Blue Ridge's Mike Kovatch and Forest City's Kent Corey made it from the boys' race. District 2 champions have gone on to win five state team titles since 2000. Dallas, the 2003 girls' state champions, earned its fourth straight trip to the state meet by winning the district championship. Scranton Prep, which won boys' state titles in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004, won the district boys' championship. Dallas outscored rival Lake-Lehman, 65-97, for the girls' title. Blue Ridge finished two points behind Lake-Lehman. Montrose was sixth with 152 points. Susquehanna was 17th with 428, one spot in front of Mountain View, which had 443 points. Scranton Prep ran away with the boys' title with 39 points. Lakeland (138) and Bishop O'Hara (142) edged Dunmore (143) for the other state berth. Mid Valley (166) made it five Lackawanna League teams in the top five spots. Blue Ridge was 11th with 284 points to lead the county teams. Montrose was 12th with 324, Susquehanna was 18th with 515, Mountain View was 19th with 536 and Forest City was 20th with 543. Elk Lake did not have a full team in either race. Forest City did not have a full girls' team. Freshman Megan Lewis led Blue Ridge by placing 10th in 21:55 for the 3.1-mile course. The girls' Class AA race was run in the worst conditions because of driving sleet blowing into the runners' faces at the start and more mud and standing water because of the wear-and-tear of the first three races. Katrina Rinehimer (17th), Beth Stone (23rd), Laurie Hall (28th), Janelle Collins (30th) all figured into the team scoring. When Becky Stone came in 42nd and Courtney Gordon followed in 46th, the Raiders had placed all seven runners in a span of 56 seconds. Only last-place Bishop O'Reilly, which did not have anyone in the top 118 out of 158 runners, managed to join Blue Ridge in grouping all of its runners together in a span of less than a minute. Chiarella, the runner-up last season, finished fourth in 21:24. The top runner from the Lackawanna League where she was unbeaten in the regular season, Chiarella finished 32 seconds behind repeat champion Lisa Giacometti of Dallas. Cudo took 15th in 22:08, making her the 10th finisher among schools other than the three team qualifiers. Elk Lake did not need a full team to send two runners to the state meet where former Lady Warrior Jessica Squier finished second last year. Owens was fifth with a time of 21:31. Ellen Squier was 11th in 21:59. Montrose also placed two more freshmen, Hannah Cronk (33rd) and Brenda King (47th) in the top 50. Two of Susquehanna's top three runners were freshmen, including Syndey Carmody, who led the team by placing 59th. Jenna Fancher was 45th to lead Mountain View. Kathryn Nebzydoski was the top individual for Forest City, placing 79th. Kovatch placed 14th, but sixth among boys who were not on the three qualifying teams. He finished in 18:24, 1:09 behind repeat champion Mark Bucklaw of Lakeland. Runners from Lackawanna League teams took the top six spots and 13 of the top 15. Corey claimed the next-to-last individual berth by placing 24th in 18:45. Blue Ridge's Travis McArthur finished in the top 50 for the second straight year, taking 39th. Nick Staats and David Newbrander of Montrose were 46th and 47th while Tim Decker of Blue Ridge was 49th. Freshman Connor Freitag was 73rd to lead Susquehanna. Jake Tomkpins and Tyler Tompkins came in 81st and 83rd for Mountain View. Andrew Delabar was 55th in 19:51 for Forest City, which used a lineup of two sophomores and three freshmen. Elk Lake's top individual was Cory Benscoter in 90th. WEEK IN REVIEW Scranton - After splitting two regular-season meetings, Montrose and Lakeland played 110 minutes of girls' soccer Saturday morning and well into Saturday afternoon at Scranton Memorial Stadium without being able to decide Lackawanna League North Division supremacy. When the game remained locked in a scoreless tie through four overtime periods, the championship went to a shootout format where Lakeland won to take the championship. The Lady Chiefs converted two of their five tries in the penalty kick shootout. Chelsea Buck and Kelly Pepson scored on their chances. Amber Lattner was the only Lady Meteor to score on her penalty kick. Amanda Bryla finished with 19 saves to lead Lakeland to its win. Before moving to the shootout, the teams played two 40-minute halves, two 10-minute overtimes and two five-minute, sudden-death overtimes. Montrose forced the championship game with a 4-1 victory over Carbondale Thursday after struggling to a halftime tie. Brittany Ely scored goals 12:56 apart, off of assists from Chelsey Parvin and Autumn Ely, for a 3-1 lead. Chelsey Parvin then scored in the final four minutes on a Lattner assist. Ely set up Lattner for a goal 11:48 in for an early lead. The two goals and an assist left Ely with 14 goals and eight assists on the season, second on the team to Lattner, who has 29 goals and 10 assists. In high school football, Montrose picked up its first win of the season and made it look easy Friday night. The Meteors used a strong ground game on offense and pass rush on defense to put the game into the Mercy Rule by the end of the third quarter in a 46-8 Lackawanna Football Conference Division II romp over Western Wayne. Taylor Smith, D.J. Brown and Jared Fowler each ran for more than 100 yards in the win. The Meteors converted all four of their two-point conversions in the first half, allowing them to open leads of 16-0 in the first quarter and 32-0 in the second quarter before the Wildcats got back within 32-8 at the half. Fowler and Brown ran for first-quarter touchdowns. Smith ran for one touchdown and Dominick Lucenti passed to Dennis Moore for the other in the second quarter. Brown ran for his second and third touchdowns in the third quarter to break the game open. Susquehanna fell to LFC Division III leader Lackawanna Trail, 42-7, allowing the Lions to clinch at least a share of the division title. With Trail leading, 7-0, in the first quarter, the Sabers drove to the 3 and the 6 but gave the ball up on downs each time. The Lions then took advantage of two special teams turnovers to produce two scores. After driving 94 yards for a 14-0, Trail added another touchdown seconds later when the Sabers fumbled the kickoff at the 5. The Lions built the lead to 28-0 before Ernie Taylor scored Susquehanna's only touchdown on a one-yard run in the final minute of the half. Susquehanna held Lackawanna Trail without a first down on its first three possessions of the second half, but a fumbled punt set the Lions up for a touchdown late in the third quarter. In boys' soccer, Mountain View advanced to the District 2 Class A semifinals with an 8-0 rout of Elk Lake. The defending champion Eagles are coming off a 10-3-1 season playing against all larger schools in Division I of the Lackawanna League. Joe Scanlon led the division in scoring. Forest City was eliminated in a 2-1 overtime loss to Wilkes-Barre Meyers after going unbeaten in the regular season and winning the Lackawanna League Division III title. The Mohawks scored in the ninth minute of overtime to win the game. Ryan Ogozaly's first-half goal gave Forest City a 1-0 lead. Meyers tied the game early in the second half. In professional hockey, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins set a team record by extending their winning streak to nine games with two weekend victories at home. The Penguins also moved within two games of the best start in American Hockey League history set by the 1984-85 Rochester Americans. Marc-Andre Fleury was in goal for both wins, 5-2 over the Hershey Bears Friday and 5-1 over the Syracuse Crunch Saturday. Fleury, the first overall pick in the 2003 National Hockey League draft, leads the league in wins (six), goals against average (1.17) and save percentage (.955). "Marc-Andre's been fabulous," Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. "He's dominating the league." LOOKING BACK Elk Lake captured the District 2 junior high boys' cross country title October 22. The Warriors finished with 45 points, 14 ahead of Dallas. Mountain View took seventh with 200 points and Blue Ridge was 13th in the 13-team field with 354 points. Elk Lake and Blue Ridge finished third and fourth in the 11-team girls' race. Allison Hall of Blue Ridge took second. Scranton Prep beat out Dallas, 43-103, for the title. Elk Lake had 106 points and Blue Ridge had 116. Susquehanna was ninth with 205 points, two ahead of 10th-place Forest City. Ryne Carney finished the 1.8-mile course in 10:32 to take third place and lead Elk Lake to the title. Brent Salsman finished one second back in fourth place. Elliott Sutter (10th), Taylor Williams (16th), Sean Morahan (21st), Jehiel Borer (23rd) and Bryan Grosvenor (33rd) contributed to the team title. Richard Shubin led Mountain View with a 41st-place finish. Mike Pipitone of Blue Ridge was 88th. Jimmy Baker of Montrose, which did not have a complete team, was 40th in 11:40. Susquehanna's David Vales and Nicholas Vales were 71st and 74th. Randy Fox led Forest City, finishing 95th. There were 113 boys and 99 girls in the district races. Hall was second in 11:47 and Blue Ridge teammate Vikki Hartt was fifth in 12:01. Elk Lake edged Blue Ridge with slightly better balance. Kim Caines was 12th, Hannah Owens was 16th, Laura Nulton was 29th, Caitlin Morahan was 32nd and Caitie Good was 35th. Susquehanna's Kelsey Carmody was 14th in 12:38 and Forest City's Sarah Corey was 15th in 12:45. Samantha Abbott placed 20th to lead Montrose, which did not have a complete team. COLLEGE CORNER Jennifer McMicken, a freshman from Elk Lake, made two appearances in the Wilkes University tennis lineup and picked up a win in doubles each time. McMicken made her college debut at number-two doubles with Darci Spohn September 14 with an 8-5 win in the team's 8-1 victory over Penn State-Berks. Playing with Spohn again October 4, McMicken added an 8-1 win during a 9-0 team victory over Keystone College. Wilkes finished 11-5. THE WEEK AHEAD The PIAA state cross country championships are scheduled for Saturday at the HersheyPark Stadium White Field. The Class AA girls' race is set for 9 a.m. The Class AA boys' race is scheduled for 11 a.m. Blue Ridge will be trying to improve on its 19th place finish out of 24 teams last season. Montrose's Chiarella placed 32nd out of 284 runners last year. Rinehimer, Collins and Hall, the three returning runners from last year's state trip, all finished in the top half of the field. Rinehimer was 83rd, Collins 84th and Hall 118th. In boys' soccer, Mountain View was scheduled to play unbeaten Bishop Hoban Tuesday night at Crestwood with a chance to advance to the District 2 Class A final against the Meyers-Wyoming Seminary winner. In girls' soccer, Montrose was scheduled to open District 2 Class A tournament action Monday against Western Wayne. In football, Montrose and Susquehanna will each wrap up their seasons with divisional games Friday night in Dunmore. Montrose (1-3, 1-7) will play at Dunmore (1-3, 3-6) in an LFC Division 2 game. Susquehanna (1-3, 3-6) will try to produce its second win of the season over Bishop O'Hara (3-1, 7-2) at St. Anthony's Playground. The Bruins are the only team with a chance to catch Trail and share the division title. Our predictions were 8-2 last week, bringing our season record to 75-20 (78.9 percent). This week's predictions, with winners in CAPS: DUNMORE 26, Montrose 21; BISHOP O'HARA 33, Susquehanna 18; VALLEY VIEW 34, Wallenpaupack 17; SCRANTON 34, Honesdale 10; DELAWARE VALLEY 40, North Pocono 19; CARBONDALE 24, Lakeland 12; LACKAWANNA TRAIL 27, Mid Valley 17; OLD FORGE 43, Riverside 17; SCRANTON PREP 51, Western Wayne 0; ABINGTON HEIGHTS 35, West Scranton 12. TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com.
EDWARDS Completes Atlanta Sweep Hampton, GA – Carl Edwards became the first rookie driver to complete an Atlanta sweep of both the spring and fall races. Edwards led 92 laps of the 325-lap Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500, Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway for his third career win of the year and his career.
“It was a great win,” said Edwards, who moved up one spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship. “I love this track. My team has given me great cars, and they deserve all the credit. “I was loose early in the race, but the team made a couple adjustments, and the car drove just great. It was running better and better at the end.” Jeff Gordon, who finished 2.712 seconds behind Edwards in second, agreed. “That team has their act together,” said Gordon. “I never got close enough to challenge him. “What a fun race it was. It’s been a long time since we’ve had fun at a mile and half track. I think the true test for us will be next week at Texas.” Mark Martin was penalized one lap for speeding on pit road, but he still managed a third-place finish. “Was I speeding on pit road,” he said. “I didn’t think I was, but when that red light goes on in the scoring tower, then you’re speeding.” Tony Stewart ran with the leaders early in the race, but had handling problems late in the race to finish ninth. “It wasn’t exactly a disastrous day for our big picture, but we would have liked to have had a better finish,” said Stewart. Coming into Sunday’s race, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had led only 32 laps. Even though he wound up fourth, he led 142 laps, the most of any driver. Polesitter Ryan Newman was never a factor. His team missed the setup on his No. 12 Alltel Dodge, which caused him handling problems throughout the race. Which driver or team has the advantage? That's the question that surrounds the Chase as NASCAR's version of the playoffs moves into its final three races of the season. Stewart increased his lead in the Chase by 43 points over second place Jimmie Johnson. Greg Biffle is third, 75 behind, followed by Edwards and Newman, 107 behind the leader. The other five drivers must wait until next year. The top-10 Chase contenders: 1. Stewart-6100, 2. Johnson-6057, 3. Biffle-6025, 4. Edwards and Newman-5993, 6. Martin-5957, 7. Kenseth-5945, 8. Wallace-5843, 9. Busch-5840, 10. Mayfield-5790. WALLACE Is Going Out A Winner – Rusty Wallace will be ending his active driving career at the end of the 2005 NASCAR season, but his involvement in the sport will continue through his Busch Series team and by helping his son, Stephen. “I want to go out on top of my game,” said Rusty Wallace. “I might not get another championship, but I still feel like I’m on top of my game. “I’ve had a wonderful career. I’m proud of all my accomplishments.” Wallace announced before the beginning of this season that this would be his “last call” and final year in active NASCAR driving. Despite the fact that he probably won’t get his second Cup championship, he is optimistic as the season winds down. “What can I say? We’ve run good, and had lots of excellent finishes. A few things happened that kept us from either winning a couple races, or finishing higher than we did,” continued Wallace. “One or two fewer incidents and we would have been right at the top.” Ever since Wallace walked off with rookie honors in 1984, his NASCAR name and fame expanded. He has accumulated one Winston Cup championship (1989), 55 victories, 36 poles, a win in the Winston all-star race, and 16 consecutive seasons with at least one victory. At age 48, he is crisscrossing the country on his farewell tour. “I’ve made a lot of fans happy, but I couldn’t have done it without their support,” he continued. “A lot of them pleaded with me not to retire, but it’s time. I feel it. It’s the right time and I know I’m doing the right thing. “The fire still burns as strong as ever in me. It’s as challenging and thrilling as ever and I want to win and enjoy the success just as bad as I did when I first got behind the wheel.” Wallace has channeled some of that passion into a Busch Series team he started in 2004. Jeremy Mayfield and Jamie McMurray handled most of the driving duties this season. Wallace’s desire to continue in the sport has involved him in son Stephen’s racing career. “It certainly looks like Stephen could very well be the next generation racer in the family,” said Wallace. “I’ve always boasted that my dad, Russ, and Bobby Allison were my heroes while I was growing up. My dad is the one that caused my brothers and me to catch the racing bug. He and mom did a great job raising three sons and keeping them in check. “Hopefully, I can pass on what I’ve learned to my son, and help him as he claws and struggles to win races, and reach his racing achievements.” Wallace, who had only one top-10 finish in the past 10 races at Atlanta, saw his hopes for a good finish on Sunday disappear on lap 6 after he was caught up in a wreck after Mike Skinner hit the outside wall. “This pretty much knocks us out of winning the Chase,” said Wallace. “I’ve still got three races to go and we’ll try to win some races before the year is over.” The top-10 unofficial Craftsman Truck Series leaders: 1. Musgrave-3158, 2. Setzer-3107, 3. Hornaday-2915, 4. T. Bodine-2902, 5. Hamilton-2844, 6. Skinner-2823, 7. Spencer-2769, 8. Starr-2737, 9. Craven-2709, 10. Crafton-2707. WEEKEND RACING All three of NASCAR’s major series, Nextel Cup, Busch, and Craftsman Trucks will be racing at Ft. Worth, TX this weekend. Friday, November 4, Craftsman Trucks Silverado 350K, race 23 of 25, 147 laps/220 miles, 9 p.m. TV: Speed Channel. Saturday, November 5, Busch Series O’Reilly Challenge, race 33 of 35, 200 laps/300 miles, 2 p.m. TV: TNT. Sunday, November 6, Dickies 500, race 34 of 36, 334 laps/500 miles, 3 p.m. TV: NBC. Racing Trivia Question: Greg Biffle is the current driver of the No. 16 Nextel Cup Ford. Which major NASCAR series has he won? Last Week’s Question: Who is the current driver of the No. 11 Fed-Ex Cup car? Answer. Denny Hamlin. You may read additional stories by the Racing Reporter at www.race500.com. His e-mail address is: hodgesnews@earthlink.net.
Bowlers “Hot” At Riverside Lanes The Honor scores to date at Riverside Lanes are six 300 games, two 299 games. The big gun was Dave Passetti with two 300’s in a week, October 19 and October 24. Passetti has five 300 to date. On the same night (as Passetti, October 24) Mike Kuiper bowled his first 300 game. Other 300’s (to date) are Lee Wolf, Jeremy Wayman, Stan Carvin. Two 299 games were bowled by Randy Reed and Jack Beamer.
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Carl Edwards