Blue Ridge students Megan Houlihan, Zach Conrad, Evan Aldrich, Jarred Mills and Nolan Hausser all received all-star recognition from NPFSports.com for their performances this fall.
Houlihan was named to the website’s first All-District 2 girls’ volleyball team.
Conrad, who also gained a second-team spot, and Aldrich were first-team selections on NPF’s Lackawanna Football Conference Division 3 team for their efforts on the Susquehanna Sabers football team as part of the cooperative sponsorship between the two schools. Mills and Hausser joined Conrad on the second team while also playing for the Sabers.
Houlihan, a junior outside hitter, led Blue Ridge to its second straight District 2 Class A championship.
A first-team Lackawanna League all-star in voting by league coaches each of the past two seasons, Houlihan led the Raiders with 177 kills. She was also second in aces (54) and digs (107) on a 15-3 team that tied for second in the league.
Conrad repeated his status from 2014 as a first-team selection at linebacker and second-team choice in the offensive line.
Although the team went 2-8 because of offensive struggles, Susquehanna’s defense was one of the most effective in the LFC with Conrad and Aldrich leading the way.
Conrad was the team’s runaway leader in tackles, making 94 and assisting on 51 more. He also led the team with three fumble recoveries while making 12 of his tackles for losses.
Aldrich led the team in tackles for losses (14 for 58 yards), sacks (3 for 31 yards) and pass rushes (5). He was also fifth on the Sabers with 30 tackles and tied for fourth with 33 assists.
Mills was chosen as the “athlete” on the second-team offense. He led the Sabers with 503 yards rushing and was third in receptions with five. He also was the team’s second-leading tackler and the leader in fumble recoveries with three.
Hausser missed more than half the season with a broken wrist but played most of the Division 3 schedule. He made 16 tackles, assisted on nine others, broke up three passes and forced a fumble.
COOPERATIVE SPONSORSHIPS
The realignment from four six classifications in PIAA football has had some unexpected results.
Montrose and Carbondale have each decided to end their cooperative sponsorships of the sport with other schools.
Students from Elk Lake had been able to play at Montrose and students at Forest City had been playing at Carbondale in cooperative sponsorships. Because half of the students from the smaller school have to be counted toward the enrollment for classification purposes, both the Meteors and Chargers would become Class 3A schools in the new six-class set up if they maintained the co-op.
Montrose and Carbondale will each be able to compete in the 2A level after making the decision. Neither team will be able to take any new students into the program from the former co-op partner schools.
The Meteors had their best season in more than a decade in 2015 with Derek Nunez, an Elk Lake student leading the way. The number of players in the program, however, remained minimal.
Susquehanna will continue its co-op with Blue Ridge, making the Sabers 2A instead of 1A. Unlike the other partnerships, the Sabers have gotten help both in terms of top-line players and significant boosts to the number of players on the roster.
WEEK IN REVIEW
The Blue Ridge and Elk Lake boys’ basketball teams got off to strong starts in the opening weekend of the winter high school sports season.
Blue Ridge won the unofficial title when it hosted the first Raider Classic, a two-day event that featured a preset schedule rather than a tournament format.
The Raiders, playing for the first time under new coach Casey Jenkins, were the only team to go 2-0.
Blue Ridge defeated Wyalusing, 52-47, Friday, then Sayre, 60-33, Saturday.
Ty Herbert had 14 points in the opener.
Jeff Harris added 13 points, including eight in the second quarter to help Blue Ridge break a tie and move in front, 28-19, at halftime.
Harris led the way against Sayre with 18 points. Herbert and Tyrell Cheeseboro each added nine points.
The Raiders opened leads of 17-6 after one quarter and 34-13 at halftime.
Susquehanna graduate Brent Keyes coached Wyalusing to a win over his alma mater, 47-33, Saturday.
The Sabers lost their first game at the Raider Classic, 41-38, to Sayre.
Tyler Williams led Susquehanna in each game, with 21 points and eight rebounds Friday, then 11 points and nine rebounds Saturday.
Bailey Newhart was the team Most Valuable Player Friday night when Elk Lake opened with a 63-56 victory over visiting Carbondale in the annual Michael Red Wallace Memorial Game.
In other openers, Riverside defeated Montrose, 51-45, Friday and host Carbondale downed Forest City, 48-33, Sunday night in the first round of the Jerry Finan Memorial Tournament.
In girls’ basketball, Blue Ridge was the only one to wins its opener among the five Susquehanna County teams that played.
The Lady Raiders beat the host team, 43-32, Friday before losing to Sayre, 51-33, in Saturday’s final at the Towanda Tournament.
Elk Lake also went 1-1 in a tournament.
The Lady Warriors took third place in the Tunkhannock Kiwanis Tournament with Sunday’s 48-26 win over Lackawanna Trail after losing to Wilkes-Barre GAR, 43-25, Saturday.
Valley View defeated Montrose, 47-35; Holy Cross downed Mountain View, 58-16; and Wyoming Area defeated Susquehanna, 72-26, in other openers Friday.
In wrestling, Blue Ridge went 2-3 at Saturday’s Wyalusing Duals.
In high school football, Lackawanna Football Conference teams split in the PIAA state football quarterfinals.
Cooper Califano ran for 261 yards and six touchdowns Friday night as Old Forge defeated Wyncote Bishop McDevitt, 51-7, in a Class A game at Pleasant Valley High School in Brodheadsville.
The Old Forge defense had eight sacks in the game and the Blue Devils took advantage of four third-quarter turnovers.
Three first-half turnovers, including one at its 2-yard line, doomed Dunmore Saturday in a 28-10 loss to Philadelphia West Catholic at Northern Lehigh High School in Slatington.
COLLEGE CORNER
Sara Krupinski is second in assists on the King’s College women’s basketball team that is off to a 6-1 start.
The senior guard from Montrose has appeared in all seven games, averaging 14.6 minutes per game. She has 12 assists.
Krupinski is averaging 2.9 points per game while shooting 6-for-10 from the floor, 0-for-1 on 3-pointers and 8-for-12 from the line. She also has nine rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Old Forge’s next stop in the state football playoffs is Friday night’s Class A semifinal against Bishop Guilfoyle from Altoona at Shamokin.
The Blue Devils are 13-1, including consecutive wins over Susquehanna to wrap up the regular season and start the playoffs. Bishop Guilfoyle, the defending state champion, is 14-0.
Our high school football predictions were 1-1 (50.0 percent) last week, making our record 16-2 (88.9) for the playoffs and 105-29 (78.4) for the season.
This week’s prediction: Bishop Guilfoyle 37, Old Forge 17.
In high school wrestling, Blue Ridge, Elk Lake, Mountain View and Montrose are all in action Saturday at the Lackawanna League Tournament at Wallenpaupack.
TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be followed on Twitter at @tomjrobinson and reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com.
HARVICK IS TOP MONEY WINNER
Kevin Harvick, NASCAR's Top Money Winner
The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is over. Kyle Busch was honored as the champion last Friday night at the season ending banquet in Las Vegas, but Kevin Harvick, the 2014 champion, was the big money winner.
In addition to many manufacturer and sponsor contingency awards, Harvick’s track winnings totaled $9,012,821.
Any way you look at it that’s a pretty good paycheck. Harvick will not collect all of that. Depending on his contract, his percentage will be somewhere between 50-60 per cent. The remainder goes to the Stewart-Haas Racing team, owner of his No. 4 Chevrolet.
“It's just exciting,” said Harvick. “I think when you race your whole life and you accomplish what you've raced for your whole life, it's exciting. I've been fortunate to experience that last year and know that feeling and know how gratifying that is. You know, it's fun to see that excitement.
“It's been a great couple years, and I know we're disappointed about finishing second, but it's kind of the theme of the year, finishing second.
“Unfortunately it's just one short, but all in all, it's been a great couple years, and I couldn't be prouder of our bunch of guys. At least we know what we have to shoot for next year.”
The remaining top-10 money winners: 2. Joey Logano-$8,400,213, 3. Jimmie Johnson-7,238,747, 4. Denny Hamlin-6,537,373, 5. Brad Keselowski-6,497,691, 6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.-6,095, 610, 7. Jeff Gordon-6,026,506, 8. Matt Kenseth-5,973,076, 9. Martin Truex Jr.-5,391,296, 10. Clint Bowyer-5,223,413.
Note: Kyle Busch missed 11 races due to injuries, and that is why his winnings (4,892,617) are not equal to the other top drivers.
An emotional Jeff Gordon received a standing ovation by everyone at the banquet after being introduced by Tom Cruise.
The pair chatted and kidded each before Gordon began to speak, struggling several times as he tried to hold back the tears.
“Now I've had a lot of people this year ask me, why not just one more year?” said Gordon. “Make it an even 24. It made me think, yeah, for a second about it, but then I really quickly responded, hey, this goes all the way back to April of 1977 for me. When I first was introduced to a quarter midget, so to me it's more like 38 years. It's been a long time. It's been an amazing ride. To all those who know my stepfather, John Bickford, they know that by maybe August or September of 1977, I was racing professionally. That's just the way it worked in my family, and I couldn't be more thankful. So will there be another year? No, there won't be. I am so ready. I am so content because I'm just so proud of all that I've done. I will say it's been absolutely amazing, and I couldn't have ever imagined how my life would turn out.
“Motorsports has provided me lifelong memories and stories that I get to reminisce and talk about for years and years to come. NASCAR in particular has changed my life in ways that I could never really even describe. It's still really just a blur to me. It seems like it was just, you know, not that long ago that I was traveling from Indiana to North Carolina to see what NASCAR was even all about, and now here I am 25 years later stepping away from one of the most prestigious series in all of motorsports and a fulfilling career.
“Thank you. Thank you.”
EARNHARDT IS MOST POPULAR DRIVER
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his 13th consecutive Most Popular Driver Award, becoming the first driver to have won the award since 16-time winner Bill Elliott was named the recipient at the conclusion of the 2002 season.
Earnhardt was awarded the trophy and the National Motorsports Press Association will donate $10,000 in Earnhardt's name to the charity of his choice. NASCAR fans cast 410,000 votes during the year's 11-week voting window that ended with the Sprint Cup Series finale race at Homestead.
CHASE ELLIOTT WINS SNOWBALL DERBY
PENSACOLA, Fla.—Kyle Busch developmental driver, Christopher Bell took the checkered flag in the 48th Snowball Derby, but was disqualified during a post race inspection for illegal weight placement, and runnerup, Chase Elliott was declared the winner.
Fans that remember the 2013 Derby, the driver who inherited the win was KBM’s Erik Jones, after Elliott was DQ’ed. This year there was a role reversal as Bell was disqualified and Elliott took home the trophy.
The win was Elliott’s second, the other coming in 2011.
“We gave him (Bell) three chances to get the weight right this week,” said Five Flags Pit Steward Ricky Brooks.
Remaining unofficial top-10: 2. Zane Smith, 3. Ty Majeski, 4. Dalton Sargeant, 5. Bubba Pollard, 6. Casey Smith, 7. Preston Peltier, 8. William Byron, 9. Derek Thorn, 10. Daniel Hemric.
Defending winner John Hunter Nemechek’s car caught fire while he was leading the race with 25 laps to go in the 300-lap race. He finished 21st.
PATRICK AND STEWART NEW CREW CHIEFS
For the third time in four years, Danica Patrick has a new crew chief.
Billy Scott has been named crew chief for the No. 10 team of Danica Patrick. The 38-year-old from Land O' Lakes, Florida, comes to SHR from Michael Waltrip Racing where since 2014 he was the crew chief for the No. 55 team, which featured drivers David Ragan, Brian Vickers and Michael Waltrip
He also served as crew chief for MWR's No. 15 team and driver Clint Bowyer from June 2015 through the end of the season. Prior to that role, Scott was a race engineer working under crew chief Rodney Childers, who joined SHR in 2014 and led Harvick to the 2014 Sprint Cup championship.
Meanwhile, Michael Bugarewicz has been promoted from race engineer on the No. 4 team, driven by Kevin Harvick, to crew chief for the No. 14 team of Tony Stewart. The 33-year-old from Lehighton, Pennsylvania, replaces Chad Johnston, who has left SHR to work as a crew chief on the No. 42 of Kyle Larson.
We have great people at Stewart-Haas Racing and these changes prove that,” Stewart, said in a press release. “We were able to promote from within while also adding new talent.
“Change isn't easy, and that's particularly true when it comes to my relationship with Chad Johnston. He served as my crew chief during two very difficult seasons. He was always supportive, and he's become like a brother to me. I think very highly of Chad.”
The SHR shake-up was expected following disappointing seasons for both drivers. Patrick finished 24th in the standings, while Stewart finished 28th.
Stewart announced in September that the 2016 season would be his last as a driver.
Racing Trivia Question: How many Cup championships did Richard Petty win?
Last Week’s Question: Where is Martin Truex Jr.’s hometown? Answer. It is Mayetta, New Jersey.
You may contact the Racing Reporter by e-mail at: hodges@race500.com.
Katie Bennett
Katie Bennett and the Elk Lake girls’ cross country team occupied their usual places among the best in the state in Class A.
Bennett earned third straight state individual medal for placing in the top 25 and led the way as the Lady Warriors remained among the top 10 teams at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Championships in Hershey.
“I wasn’t going to let myself not make it,” Bennett said of the 14th-place finish to wrap up her senior year after finishing 24th as a sophomore and 10th as a junior.
The latest effort helped Elk Lake finished sixth in the state after Bennett was part of state runner-up teams the previous two seasons.
For her accomplishment, Bennett claimed Susquehanna County Transcript Athlete of the Month honors for the second straight November.
Bennett completed the 3.1-mile Hershey Parkview Course in 20:03. She placed third in District 2 a week earlier by running her home course in 20:06.
After running an informal indoor track and field schedule (Elk Lake does not officially have a team), Bennett will be back for one more season of track and field.
In track, Bennett will be the defending District 2 Class AA champion in the 800-meter run. She has also been part of district championship 3200-meter relay teams the past two years.
Bennett was one of the leaders of an Elk Lake team that went 16-3 in the regular season and finished second in Class A in both the Lackawanna League and District 2. She was selected as a second-team, all-star by Lackawanna League coaches.
Katie is the daughter of Stan and Jill Bennett of Lawton. Her younger sister Shyanne was also part of the team, placing 32nd in the state as a freshman.
