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Bagnall Facing Difficult Test As City Coach In Dream Game
By Tom Robinson

The rosters have been released and it appears that Susquehanna football coach Dick Bagnall will have a significant challenge ahead when he coaches the City team in the 75th Dream Game July 29 at Scranton Memorial Stadium.

The County team that Bagnall’s City squad will face draws more than half its roster from the three championship teams in the Lackawanna Football Conference. The annual all-star game is for graduating players from conference schools.

The County, which will be coached by Honesdale’s John Marichak, has six players who received all-state recognition last season from the Associated Press. Bagnall’s City team has just two.

Lakeland linebacker Vince Tuzze, a first-team Class AA all-state selection, is joined by five players from Riverside’s team which won Division 2 and was unbeaten into the state Class A quarterfinals.

Princeton recruit Kevin Sochovka, a linebacker, was a first-team Class A all-state choice along with Riverside teammates Joe Klebon, a running back, and Matt Talerico, a defensive back.

Quarterback Jay Velehoski and defensive lineman Tom Bennie, a pair of second-team choices, also represent the Vikings.

The City will be led by two first-team, all-state selections – Scranton tight end Shane Glacken (Class AAAA) and Dunmore offensive lineman Ryan Eitutis (Class AA).

Division 1 champion Abington Heights and Division 3 champion Old Forge supply players to the County roster along with Riverside. The other schools the County draws from are Honesdale, Lackawanna Trail, Lakeland, Mid Valley, Valley View and Western Wayne.

Susquehanna and Montrose have players on the City along with Delaware Valley, Holy Cross, North Pocono, Scranton, Scranton Prep and West Scranton.

The history of the Dream Game features several examples of the team with less “all-stars” banding together to prove a point. That will be what Bagnall and his Dream Game coaching staff, which will include former Lackawanna Trail and Mid Valley head coach Harry Powell, will be trying to accomplish in their two weeks of preparation.

The County players, by school, are:

Abington Heights - QB/SS Pat Griffin, WR/DB Paul Ofcharsky, RB/DB Eric Ofcharsky and T/DT Colin Bremer.

Carbondale - WR/DB Josh Cino and OL/DE Steve Borick.

Honesdale - FB/LB Luis Rivero and FB/LB Peter Mesko.

Lackawanna Trail - T/DT Kyle Locker.

Lakeland - RB/LB/K Randy Nichols, G/LB Vince Tuzze and T/DT Josh Burge.

Mid Valley - TB/CB Jason Karlavige, FB/NT Brandon Chorba, T/DT Jason McConnell, G/LB Nick Capoocia and C/DT Joe Miles.

Old Forge - WR/DB Dustin Slack, WR/DB Bob Vieira, WR/DB Gabe Wilson, FB/LB Jon Kaville, FB/LB Anthony Pero, G/DE Ed Dolinish and TE/DE Nick Manetti.

Riverside - QB Jay Velehoski, WR/DB Ryan Chisdock, TE/LB Kevin Sochovka, RB/DB Matt Talerico, OL/DL Tom Bennie, C/DL Ryan Mickavitz, DE Shayn Collins and OL/DE Mike Sobolewski.

Valley View - WR Cory Mitchko and FB/LB Thomas Chesko.

Western Wayne - T/DT Mike McDonnell.

The City players, by school, are:

Delaware Valley - TB/FS Hank Neuroter, FB/SS Dan Saita, FB/LB Mike Schuster, OL/LB Kyle Lutz, OL/DL Chris Horner, OL/DL Darius Glover and TE/DE Mark Pike.

Dunmore - QB Miller Holmes, T/DT Justan Mitchell, T/DT Ryan Eitutis, C/LB Matthew Gentile and TE/LB Greg Lukasik.

Holy Cross - C/DE Michael Heffernan and G/DT Paul Madarano.

Montrose - WR/DB Andy Burgh and WR/DB Kyle Bonnice.

North Pocono - QB Nick Raven, K Ryan Willie, T/DT Mike Stefanelli and WR/DB Billy Helton.

Scranton - QB Brian Dunleavy, TE/LB Shane Glacken, TB/SS Fabby Desir, OL/DL Ian Hoban, G/DL Jeff Poveromo and WR/DB Cleveland Cook.

Scranton Prep - TB/CB Rob Evans, FB/LB Joe Gianacopolous, QB/FS Matt McGrath and TE/DE Henry Sallusti.

Susquehanna - T/DT Tim Gall.

Wallenpaupack - CB/WR Will Dyson, LB Jovaughn Johnson and T/DT Jason Gardepe.

West Scranton - RB/LB Shawn Bodtmann and RB/LB Gabe Gilgallon.

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

Stewart Survives Dramatic Daytona Finish

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch really set off the fireworks, Saturday night at Daytona as Stewart took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero 400 after Kyle Busch slammed into the outside wall, just a few hundred feet from the finish line.

“I don’t know what else I could have done,” said Stewart. “I went where I had to go and he went where he had to go. I don’t like winning them like that, but winning is what racing’s all about.

Tony Stewart, winner of Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.

“I made my second move on the outside and got up by his right tire. He went to block me, and I was already there. That’s not the way you want to win these things, and I’m sorry for what happened.”

Stewart had dominated the first 158 laps of the 160 lap race, and was leading going into lap 159. With drafting help from Denny Hamlin, Busch was able to overtake Stewart on the outside as the pair came off turn four. After taking the white flag, Busch led until the two came off the final turn, and headed towards the finish line.

Busch hugged the yellow line and blocked Stewart’s first attempt at a pass with the checkered flag just yards away. Stewart then moved high, and as Busch slid back up to block, contact with Stewart’s car turned Busch into the wall and ignited a dramatic multi-car wreck near the finish line.

Busch experienced two more hard hits, first by Kasey Kahne, and then by his teammate Joey Logano. He was unhurt and finished 14th, but left the track after refusing comments.

“We went for it right there at the end,” said Busch’s crew chief Steve Addington. “This is a product of restrictor-plate racing with these racecars. What are you going to say? I’m not pointing any fingers at Tony. He was trying to win the race, Kyle was trying to block him for the win and we got turned around.”

Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Marcos Ambrose, Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, Juan Montoya, and Elliott Sadler were the remaining top-10 finishing drivers.

Jeff Gordon was a victim of a wreck on lap 77 but was able to continue. Though his car was damaged too severely to contend for the win, he stayed on the lead lap and finished 28th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was also involved in the same wreck as Gordon and finished 39th.

Top-20 Chase contenders after 18 of 26: 1. Stewart- 2719, 2. J. Gordon-2539, 3. Johnson-2525, 4. Kurt Busch-2414, 5. Edwards-2317, 6. Hamlin-2302, 7. Newman-2235, 8. Kyle Busch-2234, 9. Biffle-2215, 10. Kenseth-2201, 11. Montoya-2187, 12. Kahne-2166, 13. Martin-2101, 14. Reutimann-2092, 15. Burton-2061, 16. Bowyer-2031, 17. Vickers-1998, 18. Ambrose-1948, 19. McMurray-1863, 20. Logano-1847.

JEREMY MAYFIELD A MARKED MAN

NASCAR doesn’t take it lightly when someone rains on their circus.

And Jeremy Mayfield has done just that. Even though he may not win the war, he has won a major battle against image-conscious NASCAR.

Mayfield is a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver again after U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen granted Mayfield’s motion last Wednesday for a preliminary injunction to force the sanctioning body to lift his indefinite suspension for a test that NASCAR says was positive for methamphetamines.

After nearly two hours of testimony by NASCAR and Mayfield attorneys, Mullen found that the harm Mayfield is suffering by not driving is more than the harm to NASCAR to conduct a safe race and that Mayfield has a likelihood of success on the merits of his case.

One of the issues Judge Mullen was concerned about was the limitation on the discretion NASCAR had in determing what violates its Substance Abuse Policy.

At issue, in a way, was NASCAR's power. The Substance Abuse Policy, some would suggest, is over the top, in not having a list of banned substances and that makes it too open-ended. Mayfield’s lawyer argued that in theory NASCAR could state that drinking too much Coca-Cola or coffee or orange juice could violate the policy.

NASCAR does not have a list of banned substances like other professional sports leagues.

It will be interesting to see what new rules NASCAR puts in place, and remember, this is just an injunction, there's still a whole court case to settle, so this isn't over.

Mayfield, who must comply with any requests from NASCAR to drug-test him, said that he planned to be racing as soon as he could get a car ready.

He was not in Daytona for this past weekend’s race, but you can bet NASCAR has ways of making it hard on him and his team if he continues to try to make future races.

MILWAUKEE MILE CLOSES

The Milwaukee Mile track in West Allis, Wisconsin closed last week. Whether the country’s oldest automobile racing facility lives to see its 107th birthday is in question.

The facility has lost money for the past several years. Texan Claude Napier had no financial backers when he assumed the lease on the track late in 2008.

“'It depends totally if I'm able to get some investors,” Napier said. “I knew I was going to be short of money.”

Napier's organization, Wisconsin Motorsports, owes NASCAR nearly $1.9 million for staging two races in June and owes the Indy Racing League an undisclosed amount for its weekend in May. The organizer of a spectator event in August - the track's final opportunity for a significant payday this season - said this week that he is ready to walk away from his commitment.

NASCAR held Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series races at the track in June.

BOWYER GETS DAYTONA NATIONWIDE VICTORY

Top-10 Nationwide leaders after 17 of 35: 1. Kyle Busch-2756, 2. Edwards-2584, 3. Keselowski-2488, 4. Leffler-2367, 5. Logano-2200, 6. Allgaier-2006, 7. Bliss-1986, 8. Gaughan-1956, 9. S. Wallace-1950, 10. Keller-1907.

Weekend Racing: The Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams are at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. The Truck series has the weekend off.

Fri., July 10, Nationwide Series Dollar General 300, race 18 of 35; Starting time: 7:30 p.m. (EDT); TV: ESPN2.

Sat., July 11, Sprint Cup Lifelock.com 400, race 19 of 36; Starting time: 6:30 p.m. (EDT); TV: TNT.

Racing Trivia Question: When was the first NASCAR race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

Last Week’s Question: How many Cup championships does Tony Stewart have? Answer. He has two, 2002 and 2005.

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

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