WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Susquehanna County basketball teams that make it to the District 2 championship games will have a longer trip to make, but a special venue waiting at the end of that trip, for the next three years.
District 2 basketball championships will be decided at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza for the first time February 26-27, 2016, according to an announcement by District 2 chairman Frank Majikes and arena general manager Brian Sipe at a Wednesday press conference.
The two sides reached an agreement for a three-year deal. They have been close to an agreement since before the school year started.
Trying to finalize arrangements, however, became more difficult when the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association decided this fall to expand from four classifications to six in boys and girls basketball beginning with the 2016-17 school year. More championship games the next two school years means more dates were needed for the games.
The eight championship games in this school year will be held on a Friday and Saturday with Sunday available as a snow date.
Depending if District 2 has its own tournament in each class, rather than a subregional in combination with another district, it could have up to 12 championship games in upcoming seasons. The 2017 and 2018 championship games will run Thursday through Saturday with Sunday again being available as a snow date.
The Forest City girls were the only county basketball to play in a district final in February of 2015. They played at Lackawanna College Student Union, the former Scranton Catholic Youth Center.
Parking issues in neighborhoods around college campuses and high schools, crowding at the doors and around the court between games of doubleheaders and other issues will be eliminated at the larger facility.
“I believe it benefits all the schools, all the families,” Majikes said. “They don’t have to worry about long lines. The seating is here. The environment is here. It’s a big-time atmosphere for our student-athletes.
“It’s something I don’t think they’ll ever forget.”
Majikes compared the scenario to the district baseball championships at PNC Field in Moosic the last four years. He said the district is preparing to negotiate the opportunity to continue that relationship into the future as well.
Final details on scheduling will be left up to District 2 committee, but Majikes is happy to have the agreement, in which the district will pay a rental fee to the arena worked out.
“When we went to the six classes, I thought we were going to hit a big stumbling block, but we were able to work something out,” Majikes said.
The formats for 2017 and 2018 championships will be adjusted according to the six-class plans.
First, District 2 needs to finish plans for 2016 in either its November or December meetings.
The most likely scenario is three games Friday, beginning late afternoon, and five games Saturday, beginning late morning. A separation between games – something like two hours between starting times – will be needed to allow for plaque and medal presentations.
The Class AA boys and Class A girls most likely will be among the Saturday games along with Class AAAA boys and AAA girls. One other game would join that group.
Majikes said during his formal announcement that it was a great day for the district.
“This state-of-the-art facility is sure to bring heightened attention and lasting memories for all of our student-athletes, their families and their friends,” he said. “The teams are already excited. We look forward to action-packed games at the arena on both levels.
“We’ve had great success with our championships at PNC Field and we expect these basketball games to be equally successful.”
The Mohegan Sun Arena, the home of the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, has hosted high school events on a limited basis since opening in 1999, but has never been the site of a District 2 championship.
“We sat down and had a meeting to try to figure out what their needs are and tried to work up a budget that worked for both of us,” Sipe said. “We were able to come to that number.”
Majikes said District 2 schools, including county schools and others from the northern reaches of the Lackawanna League, were polled at the annual meeting in April to be sure they were interested.
The consensus, Majikes said, was to “go for it.”
WEEK IN REVIEW
Blue Ridge won the second game, but eventually fell to York Catholic, 25-19, 24-26, 25-14, 25-13, in a PIAA Class A girls’ volleyball opening round match Nov. 10 at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg.
Abby Hartman had nine kills and three digs for Blue Ridge in the loss.
Hayleigh Fekette contributed 19 assists, 14 digs, 4 aces and 2 kills. Kandace Smith had 22 digs. Kim Klim had 14 digs and 6 kills. Megan Houlihan had 10 digs and 7 kills.
In high school football, Susquehanna had to make a second straight trip to Old Forge for the start of the District 2 Class A playoffs.
The Sabers turned a difficult assignment into an inspiring effort before falling short, 21-0, against the two-time defending champion Blue Devils, who advanced to host the title game.
One week after trailing by 35 at halftime and playing the entire second half under the Mercy Rule, the Sabers went to the locker room at the break trailing just, 6-0.
A strong defensive effort was not enough as the offense again struggled. The Sabers managed just 23 yards total offense while being shut out for the sixth time to close a 2-9 season.
Old Forge has four shutouts in a seven-game winning streak to improve to 10-1.
“They had a great game plan,” Old Forge coach Mike Schuback said of the Sabers. “Their kids played hard.”
The Sabers forced a fumble on the game’s first play, but were unable to turn the fumble recovery into points and had to punt the ball right back.
Old Forge used a fake punt from inside its 30 to spark a 17-play, 92-yard drive to the only points of the first half.
Cooper Califano carried 32 times for 145 yards, including the 2-yard, first-quarter touchdown.
The Blue Devils scored on their first two drives on the second half.
In girls’ soccer, Mountain View’s Hannah Richner had an assist when the Green defeated the Pink, 5-1, Saturday in the UNICO Scranton Soccer Cup at the University of Scranton’s Fitzpatrick Field.
Steph Ostir from Mountain View and Lyndsey Rupakus, who played in the boys’ league on the Blue Ridge co-ed team, were also selected for the Green Team.
Forest City’s Monique Barrese and Montrose’s Emma Griffiths were picked for the Pink Team.
The game featured senior players from Lackawanna League schools.
In boys’ soccer, the White defeated the Green, 8-2, in the second half of the UNICO Scranton Soccer Cup doubleheader.
Nick Swaha from Blue Ridge was picked to play for the White Team.
Elk Lake’s Bailey Newhart, Forest City’s Jordan Hicks and David Pollak, Montrose’s Todd Lattimore and Jared Geisler and Mountain View’s Sam Flannery, Justin Rowe and Kristian Passetti were selected for the Green Team.
In winter high school sports, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls swimming and wrestling all began official practices Monday.
In professional hockey, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins won games Friday, Saturday and Sunday to set a franchise record with an 11-game winning streak.
The Penguins blasted the rival Hershey Bears, 7-0, Friday and outshot the Rochester Americans, 42-16, during Saturday’s 3-1 victory, both at home.
Sunday’s win in Hartford was a different story with the Penguins pulling out a 7-6 win over the Hartford Wolfpack on Scott Wilson’s goal 34 seconds into overtime.
Wilson had two goals and an assist to lead the Penguins back after they fell behind, 5-1, in the first period.
The Penguins are 12-1-0-0.
COLLEGE CORNER
Messiah College fell to Lycoming College, 1-0, in the MAC Commonwealth Conference men’s soccer championship game November 7, leading to Messiah being left out of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Tournament for the first time in 19 years.
Colby Thomas and Zeb Cross, sophomores from Mountain View, were both part of the Messiah team, which went 14-5-1.
Thomas played in all 20 games and started six. He had four goals and an assist.
Cross appeared in 17 games. He had one goal.
While at Mountain View, Thomas and Cross led the Eagles to the 2012 state championship and a 2013 return trip to the state final in Class A.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Lackawanna Football Conference members Scranton Prep in Class AAA, Dunmore in Class AA and Old Forge and Lackawanna Trail in Class A continued to the District 2 championship game while Riverside will play in the Eastern Conference Class AA final.
Our high school football predictions were 9-0 last week, improving the season record to 98-27 (78.4 percent).
This week’s predictions, with home teams in CAPS: SCRANTON PREP 21, Berwick 0 … DUNMORE 30, Lake-Lehman 27 … OLD FORGE 33, Lackawanna Trail 8 … Riverside 24, MEYERS 17.
In professional hockey, AHL rivals meet when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins play at the Binghamton Senators Friday night at 7.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opened the week in first in the Atlantic Division with a 12-1-0-0 record.
Binghamton was last in the North Division at 4-9-1-0.
TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol or followed on Twitter at @tomjrobinson.
