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HEADLINES: Hall, Group Of Runners From Elk Lake Claim Medals In State Track And Field SHIPPENSBURG - Blue Ridge senior Allison Hall turned in Susquehanna County’s top individual performance while Elk Lake runners combined to claim five medals Saturday during the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University. Hall posted the best time in the Class AA 800-meter run during Friday’s qualifying then finished fourth in the final. In her fourth straight year running the event at Shippensburg, Hall posted a time of 2:17.96 to lead a group of 24 runners trying to gain one of the 12 spots in the final. Then, with eight medals at stake in the final, Hall lowered her time to 2:16.56, only to finish behind three runners in a competitive field. The two efforts represented the best two times ever for Hall, who won six state medals in her high school running career. “I’m very, very excited,” Hall said. “My coach (Joe Kempa) was very positive. He believed in me and told me I could do it.” Hall, a three-time District 2 champion, had finished fifth in the state in the 800 as a sophomore. She fell short of a medal a year ago. Hall also won an 11th-place medal as a junior in cross country, which honors the top 25 finishers, and three medals from track relay teams as a freshman and sophomore. Elk Lake’s effort was led by the school’s 3200-meter boys’ relay team, which finished fourth with a time of 7:57.99. The Warriors had the second-best time during qualifying Friday when Mike Bedell went from fifth to second in his heat during the anchor leg. Elk Lake finished in 7:58.94. Sean Carney carried the lead through the first leg of the final. Will Bennett and Bryan Grosvenor handled the second and third legs before Bedell finished up. Carney and Bedell added seventh-place individual medals to their relay medals. Carney finished the 400-meter dash in 50.56 one day after he had claimed the eighth and final spot in 50.65. Bedell was sixth out of 25 in 800 qualifying Friday in 1:56.91 then took seventh in the final in 1:57.57. Cassie VanEtten had the only medal for the Elk Lake girls with a sixth-place finish in the 400 in 58.22. She was fifth out of 27 in qualifying the day before in 57.77. Lackawanna Trail’s Lauren Ellsworth gave the Lackawanna League one of its two silver-medal finishes by taking second in the 400 final. Riverside’s Vanessa Munley had the other runner-up finish in Friday’s pole vault competition. Luke Jones got Saturday’s action started with an eighth-place medal in the 3200-meter run in 9:43.94. Because of its length, the 3200 is the only track event that did not have qualifying Friday. Instead, 24 runners jam into one race for the final. Two Blue Ridge boys - Eric Onyon and Zach Kruger - missed medals by two places, taking 10th. Onyon threw the discus 143-8 Saturday to take 10th out of 23. Kruger was unable to advance out of Friday’s preliminary round in the 300 hurdles. He was 10th of the 25 fighting for eight spots in the final when he finished in 40.78. Blue Ridge’s Katie Drake tied for 12th out of 23 in the pole vault by clearing 10 feet. The Elk Lake girls’ 1600-meter relay team was 13th in 4:09.36. Montrose’s Jeremy Dibble tied for 15th with 12-6 and Susquehanna’s Nick Vales tied for 18th with 12-0 for the county’s other top 20 performances. Elk Lake’s Maria Trowbridge was 21st in the 3200 while the Blue Ridge 400-meter relay team was 23rd and Elk Lake’s Jason Vermuelen was 26th in the long jump. Jake James, Sean Stanley, Kruger and Dan Kempa formed the Blue Ridge relay team. The Elk Lake boys scored 10 points to finish tied for 21st out of the 82 teams that scored points in the meet. WEEK IN REVIEW Blue Ridge, Elk Lake and Montrose posted shutouts to remain alive in District 2 softball. Blue Ridge and Elk Lake got through games that matched four of the most dominating pitchers in the district. Courtney Ucci threw a two-hitter and Blue Ridge made the most of the one hit it managed off Alix Taylor to defeat Mountain View, 1-0, in a Class A semifinal. Mountain View had reached the semifinal with an 8-2 victory over Forest City in the quarterfinals. Brooke Darling threw a two-hitter with nine strikeouts to outduel Makenzie Lynn in Elk Lake’s 9-0 quarterfinal win over Carbondale. Unbeaten Elk Lake had a first-round bye when Montrose was beating Holy Cross, 7-4. The fourth-seeded Lady Meteors then pounded Lake-Lehman, 16-0, for their seventh straight win. Elk Lake completed a second straight perfect season in Lackawanna League Division 3 softball. Final standings: Elk Lake 14-0, Blue Ridge 11-3, Montrose 10-4, Mountain View 7-7, Lackawanna Trail 6-8, Forest City 4-10, Western Wayne 3-11, Susquehanna 1-13. In high school baseball, Blue Ridge and Mountain View posted the only wins by county teams each was eliminated from the District 2 tournament. Blue Ridge handled Susquehanna, 12-2, in a Class A quarterfinal, but fell to four-time defending champion Old Forge, 9-0, in the semifinals. Tony Goodall hit a three-run homer and threw a three-hitter with a walk and eight strikeouts for the Blue Devils. Mountain View, the third seed, got past 14th-seeded West Side Tech, 5-3, in the first round of Class AA tournament play before being knocked off by 11th-seeded Dunmore, 16-6, in the quarterfinals. Dunmore dumped Montrose, 6-3, while Mid Valley beat Elk Lake, 3-1 in the first round. Final Lackawanna League Division 3 baseball standings: Lackawanna Trail 13-1, Mountain View 10-4, Western Wayne 9-5, Montrose 8-6, Blue Ridge 7-7, Elk Lake 7-7, Susquehanna 2-12, Forest City 0-14. In professional hockey, Jim O’Brien scored on a delayed penalty 7:54 into overtime Saturday night to lift the Binghamton Senators to a 2-1 victory over the Houston Aeros to tie the Calder Cup finals series at one game each. Erik Condra assisted the winning goal. Bobby Butler scored for Binghamton on a power play just 1:45 into the game. Casey Wellman tied the game less than three minutes later and neither team scored again for more than 60 minutes. Robin Lehner made 28 saves for Binghamton in the win. Houston won the series opener, 3-1, Friday. Butler broke a scoreless tie with 3:43 left in the second period to give Binghamton a 1-0 lead. Houston scored three times in the third period. Lehner made 27 saves in the first two period and stopped 38 out of 40 shots total. Jed Ortmeyer scored Houston’s first two goals in the first 6:09 of the third period. COLLEGE CORNER Cody DeBoer, a sophomore from Montrose, finished third in the long jump while helping Shippensburg University to the men’s championship at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships May 12-14 at Slippery Rock University. Shippensburg outscored East Stroudsburg, 174-111, in the team standings. DeBoer jumped 23-10 3/4. Sarah Kimsey, a freshman from Montrose, finished 16th with a 5-0 1/2 high jump while representing Kutztown University. COLLEGE PLANS Blue Ridge’s Hall plans to continue her running career in both cross country and track on the NCAA Division II level at California University of Pennsylvania. Hall plans to major in elementary education. Allison follows her sister, Laurie Hall, an all-academic selection as a runner who will be remaining at California as a graduate student. THE WEEK AHEAD The Calder Cup finals continue between the Binghamton Senators and Houston Aeros with Games Three, Four and Five at the Broome County Arena Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. In high school softball, the District 2 Class A final is set for Wednesday at 5 at Mid Valley between Blue Ridge and Old Forge. The Class AA final will be Thursday. The game will feature the winner of Tuesday’s semifinals featuring Elk Lake against Montrose and Riverside against defending state champion Nanticoke. TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com.
NASCAR Racing Second Hall Of Fame Class Inducted CHARLOTTE, N. C. - The second class of the Hall of Fame, Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore, David Pearson and Lee Petty, were officially inducted, May 23. The common thread the inductees share is they are a series champion.
Pictured (l-r) above, the 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductees: David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, and Bud Moore. Allison won his lone premier series title in 1983, but his NASCAR Hall of Fame credentials may lie elsewhere. He won 84 times - tied for third on the all-time list - and three were in NASCAR’s most prominent race, the Daytona 500 (1978, ’82 and ’88). Not to be overshadowed, a proud piece of the Allison legacy: His two NASCAR Modified Series championships, in 1964-65. “I went through a lot of things,” Allison said in his acceptance speech. “I got involved with a lot of people along the way. I won some races. Struggled, got better, did poorly, got better and everything. But the bottom line, it was just an incredible career. And this involved so many people.” Two-careers-in-one landed Jarrett in the Hall. His first, that as a prolific driver, made him a NASCAR legend. His second, as an everyman broadcaster, made him a household name. Jarrett won 50 races, two NASCAR premier series championships (1961 and ’65) and two NASCAR Sportsman Division titles (1957-58), and later worked as an analyst for several networks, including MRN, CBS and ESPN. “When it was announced several years ago there would be a NASCAR Hall of Fame, and when my name was among the original 25 nominees, my prayer from then on was to live long enough to be elected,” said Jarrett. “I’ve had to work hard on my health to be able to be here and enjoy this tremendous honor … I am very humbled by this huge honor, and I don’t take it lightly.” Moore’s life is a storyteller’s dream. A World War II veteran who won five Purple Hearts, Moore went on to become one of the top owners and crew chiefs in NASCAR history. Credited with having a hand in shaping the beginnings of NASCAR, Moore won 63 premier series races as an owner, and three championships - as a crew chief for Buck Baker in 1957 and an owner for Joe Weatherly in 1962-63. “My daughter-in-law, Carol, recently asked me how I wanted to be remembered,” said Moore. “The answer is simple: As one who made many contributions to the building of the sport, one whose handshake was as good as any contract, who always gave a straight answer and would never sugar coat it either. But most of all, to be remembered as a man who loved his family, his country and the sport of racing.” Pearson’s 105 NASCAR premier series victories, which ranks second all-time, and three championships place him firmly on the short-list of "best NASCAR drivers ever." Pearson never competed in every race in a season, yet tallied his astonishing wins total and still won multiple championships. In his acceptance speech, Pearson gave a nod to his prime competition in the "greatest ever" argument. “I want to thank Richard Petty, too,” Pearson said. “He's probably the one that made me win as many as I did. I run hard because he'd make me run hard. Sometimes he would make a mistake and I'd pass him. Of course, I didn't ever make mistakes. … I've had more fun running with him than anybody I ever run with 'cause I knew if I ever went to a racetrack and he was there, if I could beat him, I'd win the race.” The patriarch of one of the most successful families in the sport’s history, Lee Petty joins his son, Richard, in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Petty won 54 NASCAR premier series races, and was the first to win three NASCAR premier series championships. He also founded Petty Enterprise, the organization that amassed 10 driver championships under his watch. Petty, the only deceased member of the class, was inducted into the Hall by grandsons Kyle, Mark, Ritchie and Tim Petty. Sons Richard and Maurice accepted the induction on Lee’s behalf. “[Lee Petty] lived in his world and he didn't want anybody to tell him how to live in his world,” said Richard. “His big deal was to take care of his own. If you got in the way, didn't make a whole lot of difference to him, he got you out of the way. … Hopefully he's up there somewhere saying, ‘Okay, I know I'd get there, might have to push somebody out of the way to get there.’” In other racing news Kyle Busch was cited for careless and reckless driving after deputies said they clocked him doing nearly three times the posted speed limit Tuesday afternoon. Iredell County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Chris Stone, a member of the Aggressive Criminal Enforcement (ACE) team, stopped a yellow Lexus sports car after he clocked it doing 128 mph in a 45 mph zone between Troutman and Mooresville, NC. Busch was driving the Lexus LFA sports car, and his wife, Samantha, was a passenger. According to the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles website, Busch could lose his driver's license for at least 60 days with a conviction. That would not affect his NASCAR career, however. Competitors in NASCAR need a license from the organization but not a state driver's license to compete. NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said the speeding ticket does not violate the probation Busch received from the sanctioning body for a pit road altercation at Darlington, this month. “This is a matter that Kyle will have to handle with the authorities in Iredell County,” Tharp said. “Based on what we know right now, this would not impact his status as a NASCAR driver.” “I received a traffic citation in Iredell County,” said Busch. “I was test driving a new sports car and I got carried away. I went beyond the speed I should have been going on a public road. I apologize to the public, my fans, sponsors, and race teams for my lack of judgment.” Weekend Racing: The Trucks and Sprint teams are at Kansas Speedway, while the Nationwide Series is at Chicago. Sat., June 4, Truck Series O’Reilly 250, race 7 of 24, Starting time: 2 p.m.; TV: Speed. Sat., June 4, Nationwide Series STP 300, race 14 of 34, Starting time: 8 p.m. Sun., June 5, Sprint Cup STP 400, race 13 of 36, Starting time: 1 p.m.; TV: FOX. All times are Eastern. Racing Trivia Question: Which NASCAR series is Elliott Sadler competing in this year? Last Week’s Question: How many Truck titles has Ron Hornaday won? Answer. Three: 1996, 1997, and 2007. You may contact the Racing Reporter at hodges@race500.com.
Athletes Complete A Successful Year Athletes Complete A Successful Year Most athletes just dream of winning a championship - any championship, but who would dare dream of winning several in a year's time? This, however, has been the incredible reality for Colby Thomas and Brian Ly as members of the LVU '95 Premier Elite Soccer Team. Recently, they won the team's 5th consecutive PA East Youth Soccer Association State Cup with a hard fought 2-1 win over Spirit United, at the USTC Facility in Downingtown, PA. This win came one week after they earned their first ever Region 1 Premier League (consists of the top teams from Maine to Virginia) title, with a come from behind 2-1 victory over The Olney (Virginia) Rangers in the finals, after defeating TSF Academy Gingas (New Jersey) 4-2 in the semi-finals. Brian Lee hit an upper 90 strike off a set piece to knot the score in the Region 1 final, while contributing defense and initiating ball control offense from defensive midfield. Colby led the team in scoring, contributing 3 goals in the two weekends from his forward position. Local newcomer to the team, Raymond Lines, made his presence known in the state final when he contributed an entry pass to Colby which led to a corner kick and the winning header by team member Sam Fehr. Each of these championships provided team qualification to the Region 1 championships, and continued the team's hopes of again winning there, as they did in 2010, and moving on to Nationals, held this July in Phoenix, Arizona. Due to their 2010 win at Regionals the team received an invitation to play in the National League this past November in North Carolina and February in Florida. National League's top level of competition and LVU 95's growth, through their 3-3-1 league record, are showing in team confidence that they can win no matter what the challenge. These accomplishments vaulted them to spend months as the top ranked team in the state, region, and nation on gotsoccer.com. Their next Tournament is the Delco (Philadelphia) Players' Cup this Memorial Day weekend.
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