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Issue Home December 5, 2007 Site Home

HEADLINES:
Local Sports Scene
NASCAR Racing


Elk Lake Dominates In Red Wallace Game
By Tom Robinson

Elk Lake honored Red Wallace in the scholarship basketball game that bears his name with a strong performance in the first official game since the school's gym was named after the coach of two state championship teams.

The Warriors jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and rolled over Carbondale, 66-46, Friday night in a boys' basketball season opener.

Payton Baltzley and Jeff Madrak each scored 21 points while A.J. Lunger added 14 for Elk Lake.

      Michael "Red" Wallace coached Elk Lake to state championships in 1969 and 1977 when the team produced the best record in state history at 36-0.

Susquehanna also won its first game, but the opening weekend ended in disappointment for the Sabers when Kyle Falkemeyer hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds left to lift Unatego over Susquehanna, 60-58, in the final of the Deposit Tipoff Tournament.

       Falkemeyer had six 3-pointers and was named tournament Most Valuable Player after scoring 23 points.

Kirk Fallon had 20 points in a 68-38, first-round win over Deposit, then had 24 points in the loss to Unatego.

Blue Ridge lost its opener, but recovered to beat Sayre, 69-53, Saturday for third place in the Sayre Tournament.

Montrose and Mountain View each fell in non-league games.

Jeff Liddick had a game-high 16 points, including three 3-pointers when Montrose lost at Riverside, 36-32.

WEEK IN REVIEW

The Susquehanna girls' basketball matched the boys' accomplishment of beating the host team in the opener before losing the final to take second place in a tournament.

Christy Glidden had 20 points and Hannah Price added 14 in a 49-40 victory over Tunkhannock.

Wilkes-Barre GAR then beat Susquehanna, 68-46, in the Tunkhannock Tournament final despite 29 points by Price and 13 by Glidden.

Blue Ridge finished third in the four-team Lewisburg Tournament.

Montrose was within seven points of Valley View before being shut out in the fourth quarter of a 45-26 loss.

In high school wrestling, Elk Lake beat host Wyalusing on a tiebreaker to settle a 39-39 match and finish third in the 10-team Rams Duals.

Montrose and Blue Ridge also competed in the tournament.

Mountain View was fifth and Susquehanna was seventh in the eight-team Susquehanna Valley Tournament.

Corey Brewer won the 140-pound title for Mountain View while Zach Matulevich (189) was second and Pat Gibser (125), Josh Manzer (130) and Scott Martens (135) took third.

Julian Andujar won the 171-pound title for Susquehanna. Craig Price (119) and Josh Jenkins (215) finished third.

In high school football, the last two District 2 teams split in Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state quarterfinals.

Garnet Valley eliminated West Scranton, 27-22, with the help of four Tim Keyser touchdowns.

Dunmore, which won a state title in Class A in 1989, held off Lansdale Catholic, 21-14, in Class AA.

The Bucks recovered from a 14-0 deficit then stopped Lansdale Catholic after it crossed midfield three times in the fourth quarter.

In professional hockey, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins improved to 3-0 in shootouts with a 2-1 win over Hershey Saturday night to break a tie for fourth place in the American Hockey League East Division.

COLLEGE CORNER

Saturday's Pennsylvania Athletic Conference opener was only 42 seconds into the second half and Amanda Lass already had a double-double.

Lass, a 6-foot-1 sophomore center from Montrose, finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds and Marywood University held Immaculata College without a field goal for the first nine-plus minutes of each half in a 70-39 romp.

The win makes Marywood 5-0 on the season.

Lass leads the team with 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game. She is third in scoring with a 10.8 point average.

Lass is 19-for-43 (44.2 percent) from the floor and 16-for-19 (84.2 percent) from the line. She has eight assists and seven steals.

Caitlin Ely, a 5-foot-6 freshman guard from Montrose, has also played in all five games for the Pacers.

Ely is averaging 2.2 points. She is 4-for-12 from the floor, 1-for-2 on 3-pointers and 2-for-3 from the line. She ranks fourth on the team with six assists and fifth with seven steals.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Dunmore is the last Lackawanna Football Conference team alive in the state playoffs. The District 2 champion Bucks play Saturday at Shamokin in the state Class AA semifinals against District 4 champion Loyalsock.

Our high school football predictions were 0-2 last week, bringing our playoff record to 16-2 (88.9 percent) and our season mark to 102-22 (82.3 percent).

This week's prediction is: Dunmore 24, Loyalsock 21.

TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com.

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NASCAR Racing
By Gerald Hodges

The Racing Reporter

Johnson Collects Over $7 Million, New York, NY – After a season of achievements and memorable competition, the payoff for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers came Friday in the form of the presentation of the final point fund awards.

2007 Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and his wife, Chandra.

The 2007 Nextel Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson collected a point fund award of $7,317,499, bringing his 2007 total winnings to $15,313,920. The back-to-back champion has won more than $59.5 million during his Cup Series career.

The top-10 drivers shared $24,068,732, the largest top-10 point fund payout in series history. Each of the top-10 will receive over $1 million.

Johnson’s teammate, Jeff Gordon finished second in the standings and receives $3,280,915 from the point fund, and $497,150 for winning four special awards – the Budweiser Pole Award, the Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge Award, the Commit Lozenges Commit to Win Award and the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award – to go along with his race winnings for a total of $10,926,687.

With this payout Gordon, the series’ all-time money leader, has collected $93,300,213 during his career.

Most Popular Driver Is Dale, Jr. – The final race has been run, and the checkered flag has fallen on the NASCAR racing season; but before it was all over, race fans answered the call to vote for their favorite driver. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was voted the 2007 NASCAR NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver for the fifth consecutive year and was presented with the award Thursday at the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Media Luncheon in New York City.

“I’m extremely honored to win this award again, because it puts me with a very select group of drivers who I have a lot of respect for,” Earnhardt, Jr. said. “When I became a Cup driver in 1999, I never would’ve imagined that we’d be talking about five consecutive Most Popular Driver awards. I have a special place at JR Motorsports where I put the MPD trophies, so I’m honored to add another one to the collection.

“I don’t want it to sound like a cliché, but this award really does mean a lot to me after all we have been through this year. This year has marked a significant transition in my life and career, and I knew the fans could go either way in supporting my decision or not. It was tough, and I don’t underestimate the fans’ support. It’s been overwhelming, and I really appreciate it.”

A total of 3.8 million votes were cast this year, with Earnhardt, Jr., receiving 1.4 million votes.

Earnhardt, Jr. has joined Richard Petty and Bill Elliott as the only drivers to win five straight awards. Petty won from 1974 – 1978 and Elliott won from 1984 – 1988.

Other drivers who finished in this year’s top-10 include Jeff Gordon, who finished second in the voting, followed by Michael Waltrip, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Elliott Sadler and Dale Jarrett.

Top-10 Indigestion Awards – TUMS has hand-picked the Top-10 indigestion causing moments from this past season. For the 2007 Nextel Cup season, top honors go to:

10. Michael Waltrip Racing’s first season in the Nextel Cup Series. The team’s struggles started with a penalty to owner/driver Michael Waltrip, and things didn’t get much better as the season progressed. All three teams will start next season outside the coveted Top 35 in owner’s points.

9. Gillett Evernham Motorsports was another team that had its problems start in Daytona. The No. 9, No. 10 and No. 19 all started the season with negative points due to penalties handed down at Daytona.

8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had more than a few heartburn inspiring moments this season. He announced this season that he would be leaving Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the organization that his father built and the only team he has ever known, while multiple engine failures derailed his championship hopes and farewell tour with DEI.

7. After not missing a race in 788 consecutive starts, Ricky Rudd’s final season was marked by a shoulder injury at California Speedway. The Iron Man had to give up his seat for several weeks while he recovered.

6. Team owners, crew chiefs, mechanics, engineers, etc. throughout the garage consumed almost 100 cases of TUMS this season as they had to prepare two distinctly different types of racecars thanks to the introduction of the Car of Tomorrow program.

5. Toyota’s first year as a manufacturer in the Nextel Cup Series turned out to be extremely TUMS-worthy. Between Bill Davis Racing, Team Red Bull and Michael Waltrip Racing only the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota of Dave Blaney cracked the Top 35 by season’s end.

4. The many people who lost their jobs with Ginn Racing when the operation shut down two of their three teams and merged with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

3. Dale Jarrett made just 24 starts in his final season as a full-time driver in the Nextel Cup Series. Jarrett will start the first five races of next season in the No. 44 UPS car, using his coveted past-champions provisional before handing the seat over to teammate David Reutimann.

2. Mark Martin looked like he was about to win his first Daytona 500 before a late race melee saw him fall short to Kevin Harvick by inches in a controversial finish.

1. Jeff Gordon had a remarkable year by anyone’s standards, but six victories, seven poles, 21 top-5s, and 30 top-10s doesn’t quite get you what it used to anymore. Gordon fell short of teammate Jimmie Johnson, to finish second in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Racing Trivia Question: Which Cup driver will be driving Car No. 88 in 2008?

Last Week’s Question: Do you feel this year’s Chase was a letdown? Answer: Here are some fan comments and opinions.

“Personally, I think every year’s chase has been a letdown. The Chase is the worst thing to ever happen to NASCAR. Thanks for nothing, Brian France.” J.W., Michigan.

“Absolutely, the Chase was a letdown! Back in February, they were already talking about Jeff Gordon's fifth championship, and if Jimmie Johnson was going to get his second. And ten laps left in this year’s Homestead race, the media was already etching Johnson's name in next year’s trophy, and how he will be the first to win three in a row since Cale Yarborough did it back in the day. It's hard to get excited when they pour vanilla all over the sport.” Garry and Pam, Colorado.

“I am a Jeff Gordon fan, but I really appreciate a good race. As a serious race fan, I am amazed at the accomplishments of the 48 team, in this year’s chase. Winning four races in the chase should be enough to make you the champion.

“If we have to have a chase (which Brian France thinks is a good idea), then this season has set the bar extremely high. Jeff got enough points in the chase to win, but Jimmy surpassed that by not 6 or 8 points, but 77. It is incredible!

“However, most of the current NASCAR fans are NOT serious race fans.

“I remember sitting in the RV lot at Las Vegas a few years ago and watching the "red sea" leaving the track after Jr. had an early problem, which put him out of the race. There was 2/3 of a race left and they were leaving the track in droves.” B. K., California.

“The chase is a joke and will be ‘til the format is changed. Who says Brian France has the only key to the throne of NASCAR? The fans are the true owners of NASCAR, but have little say in the running of it. We just spend our money on over-inflated ticket prices and lousy high-priced food at tracks owned by the France family. Yes, the chase was dull and non-exciting. Watching 43 cars run in line, lap after lap and not being able to improve your standing is not racing. It’s more like test runs. One car has the power and set up, runs away with the show. Maybe, just maybe, the last ten laps get a little show of racing, then all the network analysts says what a great race and fine job by the winner and driver, car chief, crew chief. These are just my thoughts.” P. R., Wisconsin.

“Personally I don’t watch too much of the races after the Chase starts. Once the Chase starts they don’t show the racing anymore and just follow the ones in the Chase.” J. L.

You may contact the Racing Reporter at: hodgesnews@earthlink.net.

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