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HEADLINES: Montrose graduate Chris Snee capped his fifth professional season by making his first Pro Bowl appearance as the starting right guard for the National Football Conference Sunday in Hawaii. Snee was part of an NFC team that defeated the AFC, 30-21. The NFC averaged just over four yards on its 19 carries, including a 10-yard touchdown run off the right side by Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson in the third quarter for a go-ahead touchdown. NFC quarterbacks were sacked three times while getting off 35 passes for 261 yards. Snee, who was also an All-Pro selection this season as one of the National Football League’s top two guards, went from being an all-state selection at Montrose to being one of college football’s top offensive guards at Boston College. Snee has started all 75 regular-season games he has played as a pro, including 64 straight over the last four seasons. He was part of the Giants Super Bowl championship team last season and NFC East Division championship team this season. WEEK IN REVIEW Mountain View will get at least another playoff shot at the Lackawanna League Division 3 girls’ basketball title. The Lady Eagles, who lost the first-half championship game to Forest City, bounced back to win their first five games of the second half while every other team in the division was losing at least twice. In a balanced division where three teams tied for first place in the first half with 5-2 records, Mountain View stayed unbeaten in the second half by rallying in the final minute twice last week. The Lady Eagles downed Forest City, 50-47, in overtime then got past Elk Lake, 51-47. “We got two big wins that we really needed to have,” Mountain View coach Errol Mannick said. As a result, the Lady Eagles had clinched at least a tie for the second-half title going into Monday’s action. If it wins the second half outright, Mountain View will have a rematch with Forest City for the all-season division championship. Otherwise, Mountain View will have a chance in a second-half playoff to force an all-season championship game. Forest City used its press to rally into the lead in the closing seconds on a rebound and basket by Katie York, who finished with 20 points. Mountain View pushed the ball back up the court without calling a timeout. Erika Lewis took the ball to the basket, drawing a foul. She hit one of two free throws with two seconds left to force a 43-43 tie and send the game into overtime. “When they called timeout down one, we had already talked about not calling a timeout if they scored,” Mannick said. “We just wanted to push the ball up the floor and get a basket or get fouled.” Sara Evans scored six of her 12 points in overtime, including a 3-pointer to erase Forest City’s last lead. Lewis finished with 16 points. Kim Caines hit a 3-pointer to give Elk Lake a 37-34 lead, but Mountain View scored the game’s final seven points Thursday. Kelsey Whitaker hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with about 40 seconds left, then drove through much of the Elk Lake defense for the go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left. Marissa Smith tipped an Elk Lake pass and Evans came up with the steal. Evans then clinched the win by hitting both free throws, finishing an 8-for-8 night from the line with 14 points. “I’d like to say that we’re the most improved team in the league,” Mannick said. “If we are, the team that’s right behind us is Elk Lake. They’ve improved tremendously.” Elk Lake, Montrose, Lackawanna Trail and Forest City all finished the week 3-2 and tied for second place in the second-half standings. Mountain View got a little extra help in the race when Christy Glidden broke loose for 27 points and Susquehanna upset Montrose, 44-41. The Lady Sabers used a 20-6 third quarter to take a 39-32 lead. Dallas Ely led Montrose with 15 points. Montrose recovered to beat Western Wayne, 56-44, behind 18 points by Chelsea Lunger and 16 by Ely. In high school wrestling, Elk Lake’s first trip to the state Class AA dual meet wrestling championships ended with two straight losses. The Warriors were defeated by District 3 runner-up Bermudian Springs, 54-12, and District 4 champion Troy, 44-12, at the Giant Center in Hershey. Seth Canfield was the only Elk Lake wrestler to win twice. Elk Lake jumped out to a 9-0 lead on Bermudian Springs when Canfield won a decision at 215 and Jacob Eastman followed with a pin at 285. Bermudian Springs then won the next 11 bouts before Brandon Cleveland defeated Preston Green, 4-3, at 189 in the final bout. Keaton Bennett and Devin Maye won back-to-back decisions at 112 and 119 in the Troy match. Canfield and Brandon Cleveland pulled out close decisions at 189 and 215. In boys’ basketball, Montrose remained in a share of the Division 3 lead with Elk Lake by rolling to two big victories. The Meteors ripped Susquehanna, 67-44, and Western Wayne, 66-20. Alan Charles, Andy Burgh and Rob Volk each had 10 points against Susquehanna. Brandon Stone led the Sabers with 15 points while Jeff Williams added 13. Charles scored 13 points and Kyle Bonnice had 11 while Volk pulled down 12 rebounds against Western Wayne. Defending champion Elk Lake, which has the best overall record and best all-season league record in the division, improved to 18-2 by running its winning streak to nine games. The Warriors defeated Blue Ridge, 65-43, and first-half champion Mountain View, 39-27. Elk Lake had suffered its only league loss against Mountain View in the first half. COLLEGE CORNER Laura Franceski was named America East Player of the Week after tying a school and conference record by blocking eight shots in Binghamton University’s 62-49 victory over Maine January 31. Franceski, a 6-foot-2 senior center from North Pocono, has family in Forest City. The America East leader in blocked shots, Franceski also had 22 points and 11 rebounds against Maine. In her other game that week, she had 11 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots against New Hampshire. THE WEEK AHEAD The Lackawanna League basketball regular season comes to a conclusion Wednesday for the girls and Thursday for the boys. Montrose is at Elk Lake in a Division 3 boys’ game Thursday that will decide, at minimum, a share of the second-half title. If both teams get through Tuesday’s games unbeaten, they will be playing for sole possession of the second-half title and a chance to meet Mountain View in an all-season championship game. The teams have split this season. Montrose beat Elk Lake in the Susquehanna County Christmas Tournament and Elk Lake won the first-half league game. TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com.
NASCAR Racing The Racing Reporter NASCAR Could Learn From Waffle House – Martin Truex, Jr. is on the pole for Sunday’s Daytona 500, while Kevin Harvick won Saturday night’s Bud Shootout. As we gear up for the 2009 racing season, I wish NASCAR could be as consistent as Waffle House.
Kevin Harvick celebrates his Bud Shootout victory. Every Waffle House I have eaten at in the past year or so was open and always ready to cook up a couple eggs, with grits, and an occasional pork chop. I’ve never had a bad meal. Everyone is friendly and service is good. Senior citizens give high marks to those kind of things. What NASCAR did to “The King,” last week was a typical “NASCAR Deal.” Any team that finishes a season in the top-35 is guaranteed a starting spot in the first five races of the next year. Richard Petty said his organization was told after the 2008 season that the No. 10 Gillett Evernham Motorsports car would be in the top-35 at the start of 2009, because there would be top-35 teams whose owner points would not be used in 2009. After Petty merged with Gillett Evernham, the No. 10 car number was changed to No. 44. Petty and his organization went out and solicited Valvoline, a new sponsor, based on the promise by NASCAR that the car would not have to qualify for the Daytona 500. But not so fast. The NASCAR powers-that-be changed their mind without telling Petty until it was all over. “It puts us in a bad situation with a sponsor because we went in and that was part of our selling point,” Petty said. “All of a sudden, we aren’t in. They don’t blame NASCAR, they blame us as an organization for leading them down a path.” A. J. Allmendinger, driver of the No. 44 will have to qualify for the Daytona 500. There’s more. Last week was a pretty busy one for NASCAR’s inconsistency. Originally, Brad Keselowski was to have a guaranteed starting spot, but prior to practice last Friday, Marcos Ambrose was told he would be in the Daytona 500. If you guessed that Keselowski will have to race his way in, you’re right. Clint Bowyer is also among the ones who received a starting spot. Bowyer will be in his first season driving RCR's No. 33 car, a newly formed team. RCR acquired/bought the owner points from Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s No. 01 car, which has shut down. Penske Racing's Sam Hornish was also locked in after inheriting points from Bill Davis Racing. Confused? If Richard Petty is, just imagine how us lesser beings should feel. As Tony Stewart, once remarked, “It’s their way or the highway.” Don’t try to sort out the things of NASCAR. Just drive down to the closest Waffle House. You can get a nice T-bone and cup of joe for about ten bucks. It’s not a big juicy cut you would get at a high class steak house, but it’s a pretty good one. Mine has always been served just the way I like it, cooked enough, but still tender and juicy. It comes with a salad, hash browns, and toast. And most of them have jukeboxes with Hank, Willie, and Merle songs. History Of The Daytona 500 – The Daytona 500, often billed as “The Great American Race,” is different from events in most sports. Rather than being the last race of the season, it is the first. The race was moved from the beach in 1958. Looking to the future, and invigorated with the success of Darlington, Bill France, Sr. built his new 2.5-mile, high-banked superspeedway four miles off the beach. With its long back straightaway and sweeping high-banked turns of more than 30 degrees, the 2.5-mile tri-oval was one of the largest speedways in the world. In the first race, fans were treated to something that each year still brings millions of fans to NASCAR races – close competition. The first Daytona 500 didn't end, technically, for three days. It took that long for NASCAR officials to study a photograph of the finish between Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp before declaring Petty the winner. The race is also different in the way qualifying is held. The first two spots are determined by qualifying on Sunday, one week before the big race, and the remaining positions are set by two 150-mile qualifying races. One of the most incredible Daytona 500 moments was 1963, when replacement driver Tiny Lund filled-in for an injured Marvin Panch and won the race on one set of tires for the Wood Brothers. Panch had an accident while testing for the second Daytona Continental three-hour sports car race (this race later became the Rolex 24). Lund was in Daytona looking for a ride and was friends with Panch. Having witnessed Panch’s accident, Tiny ran to his friend-in–trouble and helped pull him from the fiery crash. Panch was taken to the hospital and was too injured to race. While recovering, a grateful Panch asked Tiny if he would take over his ride. Glen Wood agreed. When race day finally arrived, the teams and fans entered the track under heavy rain. Because of the wet conditions, the race began under caution. After ten caution laps, the green flag was waived. “Fireball” Roberts was on the pole and “Flying” Fred Lorenzen was on the outside pole. Tiny ran hard all day and eventually took the lead. Significantly, and little known, is the gamble taken by Glen and Leonard Wood to use only one set of tires for the entire race and complete the race with one less pit stop than everyone else. With ten laps to go, Lorenzen passed Tiny. Fortunately for Tiny, Lorenzen ran out of gas and out of contention. Ned Jarrett then passed Tiny for the top spot but with three laps to go, he also ran out of gas. Tiny made it to the final lap, then he too ran out of gas, but had enough momentum to cross the finish line first. Glen and Leonard Wood’s gamble had paid off. The Wood Brothers had won the 1963 Daytona 500 with a replacement driver on one set of tires. Next Week: Tracks Taking Measures to Lower Fan Costs. WEEKEND RACING Thursday, Feb. 12: Twin Gatorade Duels (for qualifying), 2 p.m. TV: Speed. Friday, Feb. 13: Camping World Truck Series 250, 7:30 p.m. TV: Speed. Saturday, Feb. 14: Nationwide Series Camping World 300, 1 pm. TV: ESPN2. Sunday, Feb. 15: Sprint Cup Daytona 500, 2 p.m. TV: Fox. Racing Trivia Question: How many times did Dale Jarrett win the Daytona 500? Last Week’s Question: Which driver has the most Daytona 500 wins? Answer: Richard Petty’s seven wins tops all other drivers. You may contact the Racing Reporter at: hodgesnews@earthlink.net.
Elk Lake’s Anthony Juser Is Athlete of the Month
Elk Lake’s first District 2 Dual Meet Wrestling Championship and first trip to the team state tournament all came down to Anthony Juser. The 152-pound senior came through January 31, posting a technical fall in the final bout of the tournament to lift Elk Lake to a 35-33 victory over Lake-Lehman for the District 2 Class AA title. For his efforts throughout Elk Lake’s successful season, Juser has been selected as the Susquehanna County Transcript Athlete of the Month. Juser finished off Justin Hossage, 15-0, in 2:26. After thinking he could get a clinching pin, Juser soon realized he could also close out the match by building a 15-point lead and receiving a technical fall. “Part way through the first period, I took him to his back and he slipped out, but it was already, 8-0,” Juser said. “I switched to going for the technical fall. “After the first period, it was 10-0, so I took top and turned him twice to end it.” The victory allowed Elk Lake to avenge a loss to Lake-Lehman in last year’s semifinals. “Since the end of last year, we said, ‘we’re winning it next year,’” Juser said. “That’s what we did.” Juser has also been part of close calls as an individual. He was a district runner-up in both his sophomore and junior years. Later this month, he will go for his first district individual championship. The season has been a success for Juser thus far. The four-year starter passed a milestone with his 100th career win and is now up to 107 with the help of a 27-4 record this season. He helped Elk Lake go undefeated in the league to win the Lackawanna League Division 2 title while going 18-3 overall, including a championship in their own Zurn-Bush Memorial Tournament. Anthony is the son of Dave and Lynda Juser of Lawton.
Cup Series Schedule Feb. 7 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, Daytona International Speedway* Feb. 15 Daytona International Speedway Feb. 22 Auto Club Speedway March 1 Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 8 Atlanta Motor Speedway March 15 OFF WEEKEND March 22 Bristol Motor Speedway March 29 Martinsville Speedway April 5 Texas Motor Speedway April 12 OFF - Easter April 18 Phoenix International Raceway April 26 Talladega Superspeedway May 2 Richmond International Raceway May 9 Darlington Raceway May 16 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Lowe’s Motor Speedway* May 24 Lowe’s Motor Speedway May 31 Dover International Speedway June 7 Pocono Raceway June 14 Michigan International Speedway June 21 Infineon Raceway June 28 New Hampshire Motor Speedway July 4 Daytona International Speedway July 11 Chicagoland Speedway July 18 OFF WEEKEND July 26 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Aug. 2 Pocono Raceway Aug. 9 Watkins Glen International Aug. 16 Michigan International Speedway Aug. 22 Bristol Motor Speedway Aug. 30 OFF - last off weekend Sept. 6 Atlanta Motor Speedway Sept. 12 Richmond International Raceway Sept. 20 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sept. 27 Dover International Speedway Oct. 4 Kansas Speedway Oct. 11 Auto Club Speedway Oct. 17 Lowe’s Motor Speedway Oct. 25 Martinsville Speedway Nov. 1 Talladega Superspeedway Nov. 8 Texas Motor Speedway Nov. 15 Phoenix International Raceway Nov. 22 Homestead-Miami Speedway * – Denotes non-points event.
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