Dane Beers had 17 kills and Garrett Mansfield added 15 Thursday when Blue Ridge won a first-place showdown in Lackawanna League boys’ volleyball by beating visiting Abington Heights in four games.
Both teams were 4-0 coming into the match.
The Raiders won the first two games, 25-15 and 25-21. The Comets stayed alive by taking Game Three, 25-18. Blue Ridge locked up the win by battling through a 27-25 victory in the fourth win.
Mansfield also had 11 digs and six blocks. Beers had three aces.
Dominick Rogers had 39 assists and three blocks.
Kyle Bayle had 13 digs and James Goff had six.
Charlie Randall chipped in with three blocks and three aces.
The Raiders snapped a 24-match league winning streak by the two-time defending champions.
Blue Ridge, which finished fourth in the league a year ago with a 7-5 record, has now beaten all three teams it finished behind in 2016.
Another of those wins came two days earlier in a 25-8, 25-23, 25-23 victory at Western Wayne.
Beers had a team-high 11 kills against the Wildcats.
Rogers led the team with 26 assists and five aces while also contributing eight digs.
Mansfield had 12 digs and Bayle had 11.
Corbin French added seven kills.
WEEK IN REVIEW
Forest City and Blue Ridge have played each other for the last two District 2 Class A baseball titles.
This season, they entered the week tied for the Lackawanna League Division 5 lead with 2-0 records.
Forest City won twice in three days, defeating Montrose, 7-4, before downing Susquehanna, 5-1, Thursday.
R.J. Kuruts, Kyle Shema and Dakota Knehr-Cook handled the pitching, combining for 23 strikeouts, and also led the offense with each getting hits in both games.
Kuruts struck out 12 in the opener and two hits against the Sabers.
Shema threw a two-hitter against Susquehanna with two walks and 10 strikeouts. He also had two hits in each game.
Knehr-Cook had the save and two hits against Montrose, the had three hits against Susquehanna.
Blue Ridge defeated Elk Lake, 5-1, April 10.
Derek Stento picked up his second win for the Raiders, who have allowed just one run.
Jake Decker struck out five in two hitless innings of relief while going 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.
In softball, Madelynn Guinane was the dominant as the winning pitcher in two games when Montrose began its Lackawanna League Division 4 season by beating Forest City, 4-1, and Elk Lake, 9-3.
Guinane threw a five-hitter with 13 strikeouts against Forest City. She had a three-hitter with 14 strikeouts in the Elk Lake game.
In girls’ track, Elk Lake is the first Lackawanna Track Conference Division 4 team with a 2-0 record after comfortable wins over Blue Ridge and Montrose, the two teams that finished behind it in the 2016 standings.
In professional hockey, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins finished with the American Hockey League’s best overall record while the Binghamton Senators finished next-to-last overall out of 30 teams.
The Penguins won the Atlantic Division with a 51-20-3-2 record.
The Senators finished their last season as an affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators with a 28-44-2-2 record for last place in the North Division. Binghamton will be the top farm club of the New Jersey Devils beginning next season.
In professional baseball, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders celebrated their 2016 National Triple-A Championship by drawing 11,515 to their home opener at PNC Field in Moosic.
Luis Cessa struck out six in seven scoreless innings to lead the RailRiders to a 2-0 International League win over the rival Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Cessa allowed six hits and two walks.
Ben Heller, who struck out two, and Ernesto Frieri, who got the save, each pitched a 1-2-3 inning.
Ruben Tejada doubled in the first run and scored the other for the RailRiders in the fifth inning.
The RailRiders wound up taking two out of three games in the series.
Binghamton scored seven runs in the first four innings of its first home game since changing the team nickname from Mets to Rumble Ponies, beating the Erie SeaWolves, 7-5, in an Eastern League game Thursday night.
Cody Decker had three hits in the win.
COLLEGE CORNER
Taylor Watkins is a junior thrower at East Stroudsburg University, which competes on the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II level in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
Watkins finished eighth in the conference in the women’s javelin a year ago with a career-best throw of 132-7 at the PSAC Championships. She ranks among the top 10 javelin throwers in school history.
The Elk Lake graduate finished fourth at the Coach P Invitational at Moravian University earlier this month with a throw of 122-10. Her best throw of the season came in the March 18 opener when qualified for the PSAC Championships with a heave of 129-11 and placed eighth out of 42 in the Charlotte 49er Classic, which included some Division I competitors.
Watkins received an Academic Achievement Award from the Division II Athletic Directors Association for the 2015-16 school year. Athletes had to have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 through four semesters to be eligible for recognition.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Montrose is at Lackawanna Trail Wednesday in a Lackawanna Track Conference meet between two of the three Division 4 boys’ teams that won their openers.
In girls’ track, Susquehanna is at Lackawanna Trail Friday in a meet between LTC Division 4 teams that both won their openers. They started the week one-half meet behind Elk Lake (2-0) in the standings.
In softball, Lackawanna Trail is at Montrose Friday in a meeting between the two Lackawanna League Division 4 teams that entered the week with 2-0 records. Every other team in the division already has at least one loss.
In professional hockey, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins open their Calder Cup Atlantic Division Semifinal series against the Providence Bruins on the road for the first two games. The Penguins are at Providence Friday at 7:05 and Sunday at 3:05 in the best-of-five series.
FURTHER AHEAD
As the top seed after winning the AHL Atlantic title, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will then host the remainder of the opening series.
The Penguins are home April 27 at 7:05. If the series is extended to a fourth and/or fifth game, those would be at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza April 28 at 7:05 and April 30 at 3:05.
TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com or followed on Twitter at @tomjrobinson.
IS RETIREMENT NEARING FOR PATRICK
Danica Patrick in March, 2017
In an Associated Press interview last week, Danica Patrick hinted that her retirement from racing might not be too far in the future.
Patrick was asked how much longer she plans to race, and she hinted that it might already be on her radar.
“As long as it's fun, and it hasn't been super fun lately,” she said. “But every year I start the year, I always have hope that it's going to be the year that things are going to click. I understand my career hasn't progressed.”
While Patrick might not have set the racing world on fire with her on track racing, she does appear to have a very savvy head for business. She started in 2014 with a clothing line, and she developed special meals and work out routines.
Both have been offered for sale on the Home Shopping Network.
At age 35, she knows her future racing years are few.
“Am I a worse driver than I was a couple of years ago? Probably not,” she said. “I don't think anybody gets worse. So it's really a matter of all the factors around you.”
She has been racing more than half her life, building her brand along the journey and using a marketing strategy that has made her one of the most recognized female athletes in the world despite her limited on-track success. She is ranked 29th in points through the first seven races of the season.
Once so glamorous off the track, and so competitive and confrontational on it, these days Patrick is more like a love-struck, self-described hippy who preaches serenity and takes time to enjoy everything around her.
Her and fellow driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have been going together for several years, and are constantly seen together.
Is there a proposal from Stenhouse?
“I got that under control,” she smiled.
Patrick's yearly salary from racing and endorsements for 2016 was over $16-million. Her net worth is estimated to be in excess of $60-million.
Patrick started in kart racing and later raced in Formula Ford in the United Kingdom, before returning to the United States and moving up to Indy Cars. She was named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 Indy Car Series season. She holds the IRL record for most consecutive races running at the finish.
She has one Indy Car win, and is the only woman to have led an Indianapolis 500 race.
NEW FORMAT FOR ALL-STAR RACE
NASCAR announced the format for the 2017 All-Star Race, one that rewards winning, and incorporates a fascinating strategy component.
The race will feature four stages (20 laps / 20 laps / 20 laps / 10 laps), totaling 70 laps, a drawback to the 1992 edition of the same distance.
The winner of each of the first three stages will lock up a spot in the final stage, as long as they remain on the lead lap after the third stage.
The cars with the best average finish in the first three stages will make up the remaining spots needed to fill the 10-car final stage.
The remaining 10 cars will be lined up by average finish of the first three stages and given the option to pit. Exit off pit road determines starting order for final stage.
The winner will be awarded $1,000,000.
Crew chief strategy has been at a premium throughout this season, and that won’t change in the all-star race thanks to a unique opportunity granted each team: a coveted set of softer tires. Each team will have one set of these tires available to use at their discretion. A softer tire provides the car with more grip and, thus, speed. In other words, it’s a game-changer. But there’s a catch: Teams that choose to put on their softer tires to start the final stage must start behind those that choose regular tires.
The Open will be run Saturday evening prior to the All-Star Race and will include three stages (20 laps / 20 Laps / 10 laps). The winner of each stage will earn a spot in the all-star race. The Monster Energy Open field will be set by two rounds of traditional knock-out qualifying.
Those eligible for the All-Star Race include: drivers who won a points event in either 2016 or 2017; drivers who won a Monster Energy All-Star Race and compete full-time; and drivers who won a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship and compete full time. Those who have not already earned a spot via the above criteria can still lock-in by winning a stage in the Monster Energy Open or by winning the Fan Vote.
Drivers who have already clinched an all-star spot: Chris Buescher, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr.
Both the Open and All-Star races will be run May 20.
NASCAR TRYING TO PREVENT AIRBORNE CRASHES
NASCAR is seeking ways to slow cars down at Daytona and Talladega.
During last week's tire tests at Daytona, Joey Logano was one of five drivers that participated in an aerodynamic test focused on how to keep cars from going airborne at restrictor plate tracks.
“It was an interesting day with a lot of different packages coming from NASCAR,” Logano said. “The goal is to try and lower the lift-off speed. When these cars turn around backwards, it creates lift. That's when you see cars get real light. When they're already light - and get hit - you sometimes see them roll over, right? We've seen that happen. So we're trying to figure out ways to create downforce - backwards. I guess it's what we're trying to do.
“It's easier said than done. We can probably do that pretty easily. But doing that and not effecting the racing and not adding a bunch of costs to the teams is the challenge. There's a few different avenues that they tried in trying to achieve that goal. I feel like they've made some good gains on it. But as a driver, it might seem good to me. As a team, they might have to talk some things out on how to implement certain things the right way and keep us all from ourselves, basically. Control ourselves from ourselves. We learned a lot. Even with five cars I thought we collected some good data from that.”
Weekend Racing: The Cup and Xfinity teams will be at the .54-mile Bristol bull ring. The trucks do not race again until May 12.
Sat., Apr. 22, Xfinity Series race 7 of 33, Starting time: 12:30 pm ET; TV: FoxSports1.
Sun., Apr. 23, Cup Series race 8 of 36; Starting time: 2 pm ET; TV: Fox.
Bristol Quick Facts: The first race was won by Joe Weatherly on July 30, 1961.
2016 April Race Winner: No.19-Carl Edwards, 81.637mph, started 1st
2016 August Race Winner: No. 4-Kevin Harvick, 77.968mph, started 24th
Track Race Record 1st Race: Cale Yarborough, Apr 1977, 100.989
Track Race Record 2nd Race: Charlie Glotzbach, July 1971, 101.074
Slowest Race Record: Ned Jarrett, July 1965, 61.826mph
Oldest Race Winner: Dale Earnhardt, 48 years, 3 months, 30 days, 8/28/1999
Youngest Race Winner: Kyle Busch, 21 years, 10 months, 23 days, 3/25/2007
Worst Starting Spot to Win: Elliott Sadler, March 2001, started 38th
Racing Trivia Question: How many Cup championships has Jack Roush won?
Last Week's Question: Who owns the Bristol Motor Speedway? Answer. Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc.
You may contact the Racing Reporter by e-mail at: hodges@race500.com.
