BASEBALL: Boyertown rallies past Perkiomen Valley to win PAC-10 opener

Perkiomen Valley’s Chase Ott, right, steals second base as Boyertown’s Tony Casper awaits the throw in the top of the second during Wednesday’s PAC-10 baseball game at Bear Stadium. (John Strickler/The Mercury)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

BOYERTOWN — The challenge for the Boyertown baseball team this year will be to score some runs to go along with what will undoubtedly be a strong pitching staff. And though it took the Bear batters a while to get on the board in Wednesday afternoon’s season and Pioneer Athletic Conference opener at Bear Stadium, three runs in the fifth inning turned out to be enough to supplement the pitching of A.J. Bogucki, Dan Woodley, and Tyler Bauman in a 3-2 win over Perkiomen Valley.
Bogucki struck out eight through four innings and also knocked in the Bears’ first run with a line single to center, Woodley picked up the win after allowing only an unearned run in the fifth, and Bauman earned a save with two scoreless frames. Jay Jabs pitched well in a losing effort for the Vikings (0-1, 1-1).

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BOYS TENNIS: Doubles teams key as Perkiomen Valley tops Owen J. Roberts

John Strickler/The Mercury Perkiomen Valley’s Vash Singh follows through during Tuesday’s No. 1 singles match against Owen J. Roberts’ Utkarsh Pandey. Singh won, 6-2, 6-4.

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

GRATERFORD — Some good young players have jumped into the Perkiomen Valley singles spots, leaving the veterans at doubles. And that has been a winning combination for the Vikings so far in the early stages of the Pioneer Athletic Conference boys tennis schedule. The Vikings won their second straight match Tuesday afternoon, 5-2, over visiting Owen J. Roberts.
Yash Singh won at No. 1 singles for PV (2-0, 2-0) and Evan Newbill was victorious in the No. 3 spot. The second, third and fourth doubles teams also came out on top for Perk Valley, just as they had in a surprising 4-3 win over defending champion Phoenixville last week. Ethan Gelting won at second singles and Drew Brown and Tim Craybill at No. 2 doubles for the Wildcats (1-1, 1-2).

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford stops Dover to return to PIAA semifinals

Spring-Ford's Sammy Stipa comes up with the ball ahead of Dover's Alayah Hall and Megan Lokhaiser on a loose ball during the first half of their PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal Friday night at Garden Spot High School. (Photo by Barry Taglieber)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

NEW HOLLAND — All season long, the Spring-Ford girls have been on a mission to make it further than they did last year. And after 32 games, that goal is finally right at their fingertips after they advanced to the PIAA Class AAAA Final Four for the second straight season on Friday night with a 67-45 win over Dover at Garden Spot High School.
One Ram or another seemed to have a hot hand the entire night as five players scored at least nine points, including 15 apiece by Sammy Stipa and Sarah Payonk. Alayah Hall scored 20 for Dover. Spring-Ford (30-2) will face Cardinal O’Hara, a 60-24 winner over Central Dauphin, in a Tuesday semifinal at a time and place to be determined.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: PJP’s comeback bid falls short vs. Carroll

Photo by Adrianna Hoff/JRC Pope John Paul’s Brent Mahoney looks for an opening around Archbishop Carroll’s Joe Mustardi and Zafir Copeland on Tuesday night at Colonial Elementary School.

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

WHITEMARSH — The Pope John Paul II boys had already accomplished their yearly goals and advanced a step further than ever before in both the district and state playoffs heading into their PIAA-AAA Tournament second-round contest on Tuesday night.
But that didn’t mean that they were willing to pack it in for the season, not even after giving up 10 straight points to Archbishop Carroll to start the game and falling behind by 15 after a quarter. PJP rallied to cut the deficit to just three with a little over a quarter to go, but Carroll countered with its second double-digit run of the night and ended the Golden Panthers’ season, 57-40, at Colonial Elementary.
Brent Mahoney scored 13 to lead PJP (16-10) and fellow senior Jamel Stinson followed with 10 points. But the Panthers had trouble containing Carroll 6-foot-6 sophomore forward Derrick Jones, who piled up 16 points, 19 rebounds, and eight blocked shots.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II falls to Archbishop Wood

 By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

RADNOR — Just when one wave began to recede, the Pope John Paul II girls were hit by another one in Saturday afternoon’s PIAA-AAA opening round basketball contest. And that’s the way it went the whole time as three-time defending state champion Archbishop Wood brought in five fresh players at a time every three or four minutes and suffered no decrease in effectiveness while washing the Golden Panthers away into the off-season, 60-39 at Archbishop John Carroll High School.
Madison Tamburini scored 13 points for the Vikings (18-9), eight of them during a 22-0 first quarter and the rest in the second. Senior Haley Mesaros topped PJP (18-7) – making its first state appearance in the school’s three-year history - with 13 points, classmate Taylor Bearden followed with eight, and junior Kelly Moore and freshman Gabby Troisi each added five.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Central Dauphin catches fire, eliminates Boyertown, 57-39

Kaitlyn Eisenhard, right, and the Boyertown girls basketball team saw their season come to an end Friday night in a PIAA Class AAAA Tournament opening round loss to Central Dauphin. (Mercury file photo)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

DERRY — Despite getting off to a typical slow start, the Boyertown girls were happy with where they were at halftime after rallying for a three-point lead in Friday night’s opening round of the PIAA Class AAAA Basketball Tournament.
But the Bears trailed again after turning the ball over too many times in the third quarter and then fell victim to nearly perfect shooting in the final quarter by Central Dauphin in a season-ending 57-39 loss at Milton Hershey School’s Spartan Center.

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COLLEGE SIGNING: Daniel Boone’s Howiszak making way to Mansfield

Kelly Howiszak has signed a letter of intent to continue her soccer career at Mansfield University in the fall. (JRC file photo)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

Kelly Howiszak thought that she wanted to go to a college in the city. Then the Daniel Boone senior visited and fell in love with Mansfield University, located in a scenic town of 3,600 in the north central part of the state, and she decided that’s where she wanted to continue her studies and soccer career.

Howiszak plans to major in chemistry and minor in forensic science and hopes to make an immediate contribution to the NCAA Division II and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference member Mountaineers following four varied and successful years of sports at Daniel Boone.

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COLLEGE SIGNING: Bears’ Lentz heading to Mansfield for soccer

Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury Boyertown’s Danielle Lentz signs a letter of intent to play soccer at Mansfield as her mother Paula Lentz and coach Bill Goddard look on.

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

BOYERTOWN — When the Boyertown girls soccer team recorded an incredible 16 straight shutouts on the way to the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship last fall, senior Danielle Lentz was right in the middle of everything in more ways than one.
The defense-minded center-midfielder was not only an integral part of that impenetrable defense, but she also showed that she could put the ball in the net. She knocked in the winning penalty kick in the PAC-10 final against Owen J. Roberts, giving the Bears a second straight title and third in her four years on the field.
And while her high school playing days may be over, Lentz is all ready to go at it again in the fall after signing a National Letter of Intent to continue her studies and play soccer at Mansfield University. She plans to major in psychology at the NCAA Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference school of over 3,000 students in the north central part of the state, a half mile from the New York border.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II falls in District 1-AAA final

Pope John Paul II's Michael Cianciulli drives to the basket against the defense of Upper Moreland's Tommy Robinson during the District 1-AAA boys basketball championship game at Villanova University. (Photo by Brian Ludy)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

VILLANOVA — Sometimes stopping the other team’s high scorer isn’t enough, which was the problem the Pope John Paul II boys ran into during Saturday night’s District 1-AAA basketball championship contest. The Golden Panthers held Upper Moreland’s Matt Kohn - who had scored 28 in the semifinal round - to just eight points, but a well-balanced Golden Bear offense was too much too keep up with in a 57-49 loss at Villanova University’s Pavilion.
Brent Mahoney scored 17 for PJP (15-10) and Jamel Stinson 10. But 6-foot-5 junior Kevin McFall dominated the inside scoring for Upper Moreland (14-11) with 20 points and James Martin scored 12, including three baskets from beyond the three-point stripe.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Suffocating Spring-Ford secures second straight District 1 championship

The Spring-Ford girls basketball team and coaching staff pose with the District 1 championship trophy after defeating Mount St. Joseph in the District 1 Class AAAA title game Friday night at Villanova University. (Photo by Barry Taglieber)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

VILLANOVA — The defense of the Spring-Ford girls basketball team has been exceptional all year. But somehow, it reached an even higher level in Friday night’s District 1-AAAA championship game at Villanova University’s Pavilion.
The usual downright stinginess of the Rams reached near-perfection during the middle part of the contest as they held Mount St. Joseph Academy scoreless for nearly 13 minutes while running off 27 points of their own on the way to a 51-30 rout and their second straight district championship.
Sammy Stipa scored 15 points, Shelby Mueller nine, and Brittany Moore eight for the top-seeded winners, who had beaten MSJ 39-32 earlier in the season. Libby Tacka led the second-seeded Magic, which had a 14-game winning streak snapped, with nine points.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II ready to let loose in District 1-AAA final

Pope John Paul II’s James Bleming (4) and the Golden Panthers are set to meet Upper Moreland in the District 1-AAA championship game Saturday night (8 p.m.) at Villanova. (Photo by John Strickler/The Mercury)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

The pressure was certainly on for the Pope John Paul II boys basketball team each of the last two seasons as it headed into the last day of the District 1-AAA Tournament both times needing a win to keep its season alive and earn the district’s third and final spot in the state playoffs. And the Golden Panthers came through in the clutch twice, winning in double overtime the first year and by three points the second time.
Compared to those nerve-wracking experiences, tonight’s 8 p.m. District 1 championship game versus Upper Moreland at Villanova’s Pavilion should be comparatively stress-free as PJP shoots for the first district basketball title in the school’s three-year history after having already clinched a PIAA Tournament spot with a do-or-die semifinal win on Wednesday.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II pushes on to District 1 final, clinches states

Brent Mahoney led Pope John Paul II with 13 points in a win over Glen Mills Wednesday night in the District 1-AAA semifinals. (Photo by Barry Taglieber)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

WHITEMARSH — Even after allowing what amounted to a five-point play to fall behind by six late in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s District 1-AAA basketball semifinal, the Pope John Paul II boys continued on as if nothing had happened. The veteran-laden squad kept patiently running its offense and going to the basket and eventually overtook Glen Mills for a 48-42 win at Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Colonial Elementary.
That means that PJP will play for the district title for the first time in the school’s three-year history at Villanova University on Saturday at 8 p.m. against Upper Moreland, a 60-55 winner over Octorara, and advances to the PIAA Tournament for the third straight time.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul comeback effort comes too late

Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury Pope John Paul’s Lauren Dao drives against Merion Mercy’s Martha Zeller.

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

WHITEMARSH — All the Pope John Paul II girls could do in the second half of Tuesday night’s District 1-AAA basketball semifinal was try to get back into the game one play at a time after a horrible half of shooting left them 17 points behind.

And that’s what they did, by not only finally hitting some of their own shots, but by also shutting down Merion Mercy’s inside game while cutting what had eventually become a 19-point deficit to just three by midway through the fourth quarter.

But Merion then scored its only basket of the final period and added 10 free throws in the last minute and a half to hold off the Golden Panthers, 47-35 at Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Colonial Elementary and clinch one of the district’s three spots in the PIAA Tournament. PJP will have a second chance to earn its first state berth in the three-year history of the school back at the same place on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against fourth-seeded Lower Moreland, a 52-28 loser to top-seeded Villa Maria.

Taylor Beardon scored 11 for the third-seeded Golden Panthers (17-6), all of them in the second half, and Caroline Corzel led 10th-seeded Merion (17-10) with 14 points, including six straight free throws down the stretch.

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WRESTLING: Cherneskie, Flanigan place at National Preps

The Hill School’s Nick Flanigan, top, took eighth place in his weight class at the National Prep Championships Saturday at Lehigh. (File photo by Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

BETHLEHEM — The goal for both Johnnie Cherneskie and Nick Flanigan this season was to make it to the National Prep Championships and then place — a task much more difficult than it might sound. First, to make it through a tough state tournament was no easy task. Then to go up against 31 others who also had to earn their way there and finish in the top eight of that elite group was an even more imposing assignment.

But it was one that the two Hill School wrestlers were pleased and proud to have accomplished when the 78th Annual National Prep Championship Tournament came to an end Saturday afternoon at Lehigh University’s Stabler Arena.

Post-graduate Cherneskie finished up with a 2-1 win to claim seventh place at 182 pounds in the two-day affair and junior Flanigan placed eighth at 145 pounds after dropping a hard-fought 6-3 decision.

“My first goal was just to place,” said Cherneskie. “To do this is awesome. It was nice to end with a win in what might have been my last wrestling match. It definitely accomplished all my dreams. It’s amazing, just to be here in the top eight, making it to the second day out of 32 who had to win to get here.”

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Pope John Paul II holds off Lower Moreland

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

UPPER PROVIDENCE — Win and advance … lose and you’re done. There’s really no bigger incentive than that during the opening round of the district basketball playoffs, especially if you’re a senior.
And a couple of those Pope John Paul II seniors, who might have been playing their last game, were major contributors Friday night as the third-seeded Golden Panther boys fought off visiting Lower Moreland, 42-38, to move on to the District 1-AAA semifinals.
Jamel Sinson scored 12 and pulled in 14 rebounds for PJP (14-9) and Brent Mahoney scored 11, three of them on a bomb from the top of the circle that broke a tie with a little over a minute to go. Jake Cohen scored 18 for the sixth-seeded Lions (9-14).

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Cold-shooting Upper Perkiomen falls to Gwynedd Mercy

Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury Upper Perkiomen’s Danni Moser loses control of the ball after colliding with Gwynedd-Mercy’s Bridgette Coleman on Tuesday night.

By Dennis Weller
sports@pottsmerc.com

RED HILL — If only a few more shots had dropped through the hoop for Upper Perkiomen, Tuesday night’s District 1-AAA girls basketball opening-round contest might have ended differently. But the Indians struggled with their shooting much of the night, especially as they fell behind by eight points during a nervous first quarter, and their best season in a long, long time came to an end with a 49-44 loss to visiting Gwynedd Mercy Academy.
Holly Crossin scored 11 for eighth-seeded Upper Perk (13-11), which trailed the entire time except for one tie and a single one-point lead, and Stacey Auckland followed with 10 points. Erica DeCandido topped the ninth-seeded Monarchs (11-13) — who will travel to No. 1 Villa Maria for a quarterfinal contest on Friday — with 13 points, including 7-for-8 shooting from the line in the fourth quarter, and Bailey Greenberg contributed 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

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WRESTLING: Hill School duo reaches finals, but falls short

Mercury file photo Hill School’s Nick Flanigan reached the final of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Wrestling Tournament Saturday.

By Dennis Weller
Speical to The Mercury

NEWTOWN SQUARE — Making it to the second day of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Wrestling Tournament is one thing.
Coming home from it with a gold medal is quite another, as local competitors have found out over the years.
Three Hill School grapplers, and another from West-Mont Christian Academy, headed into Saturday’s action at Episcopal Academy undefeated after the first day and two of them — Hill 145-pounder Nick Flanigan and 182-pounder Johnnie Cherneskie — made it the championship finals. But there they ran into tough opponents from runaway team champion Wyoming Seminary and both had to settle for silver medals after one-sided losses.

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WRESTLING: Cherneskie, two Hill School teammates reach semifinals at state preps

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

NEWTOWN — At St. Pius X, then at Pope John Paul II, and now at The Hill School, Johnnie Cherneskie has wrestled competitively at just about every level.
Next, he’ll be taking on the best competition that private schools can offer when he heads to the National Prep Tournament next weekend at Lehigh University. That comes after he clinched a top-six finish in the state at the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Tournament on Friday afternoon.
The Hill 182-pound post-graduate won by a pin and a decision at Episcopal Academy to earn a spot in this morning’s semifinal round and can do no worse than the sixth-place finish required to move on to the next level. He’ll be joined in the semifinal round and nationals by teammates Chad Saunders (132 pounds) and Nick Flanigan (145 pounds), along with West-Mont Christian Academy’s Austin Mortimer (120 pounds). Competition resumes this morning at 9 a.m. with the semifinals and third round of consolations and concludes with the championship finals and awards beginning at 2:30 p.m.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Perkiomen cruises to Tri-County title

Perkiomen School's Nicole Pupilio dribbles into transition against Barrack Hebrew in the Tri-County League championship game Thursday night at The Hill School. (Kevin Hoffman, The Mercury)

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

POTTSTOWN — After rolling through the Tri-County League regular season undefeated and then winning a couple of playoff games with no problems, you might think that there would have been little reason for the Perkiomen School girls to be nervous on Thursday night.

But this was a championship game – the first-ever for this particular set of Panthers – being played before a large and noisy crowd at The Hill School’s Gillison Court, making for a definite playoff atmosphere. So the jitters were there for a while, and it showed, as Perk School struggled on offense and trailed by eight points three minutes into the second quarter.

But the Panthers rallied to take the lead by the end of the half and all of those butterflies in the stomach were long gone after a 27-point explosion in the third quarter on the way to a 64-36 win over Barrack Hebrew Academy, giving Perk School its first girls basketball title since 1984.

Nicole Pupillo scored 23 for the Panthers (19-5), including three baskets from beyond the three-point stripe in a span of just 63 seconds in the third quarter. Stephanie Falcone followed with 17 points for the winners, including a three-point blast in the final seconds of the first half that gave her team a 26-23 edge, and Kristen Burdo scored 11 and grabbed 12 rebounds. Sophia Schulson had 14 points and 16 rebounds for Barrack (15-5), which had lost to the Panthers by 21 and nine points during the regular season.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Perkiomen falls to Phelps in TCL final

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

POTTSTOWN — Sometimes the other team is big, sometimes it’s quick, and other times it can shoot the ball well. But Perkiomen School’s opponent in Thursday night’s Tri-County League boys basketball championship game was all of the above.

Needless to say, the defending champion Panthers had their work cut out for them, especially after Phelps School hit them with an eight-point run in the first two minutes of the contest. Perk School managed to recover from that blitz to tie the score late in the quarter, but couldn’t keep pace for long in a 70-44 loss at The Hill School’s Gillison Court.

Justas Valciukas scored 12 for the Panthers (13-7) and David Zell and Tony Coleman added eight points apiece. Terry Larrier scored 14 to lead the Lions (20-11).

“Some teams are big, but they have a weakness,” said Perk School coach Mark Longstreth. “This team … they’re big and shoot well. They have a lot of guys who can handle the ball.”

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