FOOTBALL: Blast from the past

Perkiomen Valley takes on Boyertown in a Week 8 PAC-10 football matchup Friday. Here's a look back at a wild ending from 2011, when Clay Domine hit Ezra Ranco for the game-winning two-point conversion pass with 1:06 left in regulation to give the Vikings a 22-21 victory over the Bears.

Click here for game story and video

MERCURY SPORTS: WEDNESDAY RECAP

Spring-Ford pitcher Tyler Eckman (Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

Spring-Ford's David O'Such wins the 100 meters Wednesday. 

 

Wednesday featured a full slate of local sports including coverage of rematches of last season's Pioneer Athletic Conference championship between Spring-Ford and Boyertown in baseball and Spring-Ford and Owen J. Roberts in boys lacrosse. Also Wednesday, the Mercury covered the track and field double dual meet between Boyertown, Spring-Ford and Upper Perkiomen and girls lacrosse action between Methacton and Perkiomen Valley.

BASEBALL: Clutch Klemann, Eckman carry Spring-Ford over Boyertown, 3-2 in 8 innings

BOYS LACROSSE: Owen J. Roberts rallies past Spring-Ford

 TRACK AND FIELD: Spring-Ford boys and girls sweep Boyertown, Upper Perkiomen

GIRLS LACROSSE: Fast-starting Methacton tops Perkiomen Valley, 10-5

WEDNESDAY’S ROUNDUP: Perkiomen Valley softball freshman duo one-hits Boyertown

Mercury Sports: Saturday Recap

Mercury file photo Sue Benfield stepped down before this season after 41 years in charge of the Boyertown softball program.

Pick up Sunday's Mercury, which includes a profile of longtime Boyertown softball coach Sue Benfield, coverage of Perkiomen Valley/Methacton boys lacrosse, and our 2013 softball previews.


SOFTBALL: Benfield leaves quite a legacy at Boyertown

BOYS LACROSSE: Perkiomen Valley beats Methacton in "Rivalry Day" showdown

SOFTBALL: 2013 Season Preview Capsules

LOCAL ROUNDUP: Spring-Ford, Methacton combine for 5 firsts in track and field classic

Mercury Sports: Thursday recap

Perkiomen School's Jose Marce (5) advances to third after tagging up on a fly ball in the bottom of the second inning Thursday. Upper Perkiomen third baseman Ryan Harris tries to apply the late tag. (John Strickler/The Mercury)

Pick up Friday's edition of The Mercury, which includes coverage of Perkiomen School/Upper Perkiomen and Perkiomen Valley/Phoenixville baseball and Perkiomen Valley/Phoenixville softball.

BASEBALL: Phoenixville outlasts Perkiomen Valley in 8 innings

BASEBALL: Perkiomen School doubles up Upper Perkiomen

SOFTBALL: Minnick seizes chance, leads Perkiomen Valley past Phoenixville


Also in Friday's Mercury: A special commemorative section on the Spring-Ford girls basketball state championship

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).

(For complete story, click here ...)

BOYS LACROSSE: Perkiomen Valley handles Phoenixville in PAC-10 opener

Phoenixville's Rob Miller attempts to run around the defense of Perkiomen Valley's Ben Minardi during Wednesday's PAC-10 boys lacrosse game. (Photo by Barry Taglieber)

By Barry Sankey
bsankey@journalregister.com

PHOENIXVILLE — It is early in the spring sports season, and coaches are still hunting for the right combination of players along with the search for hard work and improvement with each practice session and game.
Perkiomen Valley first-year coach Bryan Churchey also sought a complete game from his players during Wednesday afternoon’s Pioneer Athletic Conference contest against Phoenixville.
The Vikings found both their offense and defense clicking that led to an 11-2 victory over the Phantoms at their new multi-purpose turf field.

(For complete story, click here ... )

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).

(For complete story, click here ... )

BOYS BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Ten moments to remember from 2012-13 season

Perkiomen Valley first-year coach Mike Poysden cut down the net after his team won the PAC-10 championship this season. It was one of a number of highlights from the 2012-13 season for local boys teams. (Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

 

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

Another basketball season went into the record books this past week ... a scant four months after it kicked off with hope and hype in gymnasiums around the area.

It was around this time in November hundreds of players at local schools turned out for preseason practices, dreams of hardwood glory as abundant. Some of those dreams started coming to fruition a month later when the teams got their game schedules underway, while others withered as the ebb and flow of victory and defeat came into play.

As has been the case in past years, individual and team successes were realized over three months of competition. Here, in no particular order, are some of those outstanding moments that made the 2012-13 season one to remember locally. 

( To read the complete story, click here )

SWIMMING: Diving provides safe haven for PV’s Ott after fire ravages family home

Photo by Ted Hodgins Perkiomen Valley’s Chase Ott will compete in the PIAA Diving Championships this week at Bucknell.

By Rosemarie Ross
rross@pottsmerc.com

LEWISBURG — The start of 2013 could not have been a more depressing for Perkiomen Valley standout diver Chase Ott and his family.
Sound asleep in his family’s Schwenkesville home, Ott suddenly awakened to the fire alarms blasting throughout the house on a cold January night around 1 a.m.
“When the alarms went off I woke up and stepped out of my room and there was smoke everywhere,” Ott recalled last week. “We had a wooden stove and we thought it was just smoke coming out of the stove, But then we could hear the wall crackling. Something wasn’t right. Then the wall caught on fire. And we ran out, grabbed the dogs, pulled the cars out of the garage, called the fire company.
“It was rough, it was scary. But we were just focusing on getting everyone out and safe. It wasn’t necessarily being scared, it was more like had my adrenaline going. Afterward, watching the house go up in flames, that’s what was sad.”
Everyone did make it out safely. But most of the house was gone, damaged by either the fire, water or smoke.

(For complete story, click here ... )

SWIMMING: State qualifiers finalized

By Steve Moore
smoore@pottsmerc.com

The PIAA unveiled the state swimming psych sheets today. Some area swimmers already knew they were Bucknell-bound by finishing in the top 5 (AAA) or first place (AA) in their event at the District 1 Championships. Others had to wait for today to see if they earned a wild card berth.

Full entries can be seen on the PIAA website by clicking here.

See below for a rundown all the local qualifiers.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Abington star Rawls too much for Perkiomen Valley

Abington's Deja Rawls drives for the basket against Perkiomen Valley's Anna Leonard and Mikki Guiton.

By Mike Prince
mprince@journalregister.com

ABINGTON — With her team struggling out of the gate, unable to hit a basket for nearly the first five minutes of Saturday’s game, Abington guard Deja Rawls decided it was time to show why the Ghosts were the higher seed entering their first district playoff game.
Rawls, a sophomore, knocked down a pair of three-pointers and scored14 of her team’s first 19 points en route to a 26-point day, leading the way for the Ghosts in a 53-42 win over Perkiomen Valley in a District 1-AAAA first round playoff game at Abington High School.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Top-seeded Rams lead four area teams into AAAA districts

Sarah Payonk (54), Brittany Moore (10) and the Spring-Ford girls basketball team earned the top seed for the District 1-AAAA playoffs. The defending district champions host No. 32 William Tennent Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Methacton and Jenna Carroll (13) are the No. 5 seed for the tournament and host No. 28 Council Rock North, also at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. (Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

Pioneer Athletic Conference champion Spring-Ford highlights a list of six area girls basketball squads that have qualified for the District 1 playoffs, which begin today.

The defending champion Rams are the top seed in the 1-AAAA tournament, with PAC-10 runner up Methacton, Boyertown and Perkiomen Valley also qualifying for the 32-team draw.

Frontier Division champion Pope John Paul II and Frontier runner-up Upper Perkiomen, meanwhile, will represent the league in the 12-team District 1-AAA tourney.

Seventh seed Boyertown (16-7) will get things started tonight, playing host to 26th seed Wissahickon (13-8) in a 7 p.m. opening round contest.

(For the complete story, click here...)

BOYS BASKETBALL: No. 6 Methacton leads three into AAAA districts

Brendan Casper, left, and the Methacton boys basketball team earned the No. 6 seed for the District 1-AAAA playoffs, beginning Friday. The Warriors host No. 27 Bensalem Friday. (Adrianna Hoff / JRC)

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

The league and conference championships have most likely been decided by now.

The next step for area teams in the post-season mix will be taken today, when the District 1 playoffs open in force around the southeastern Pennsylvania region. And three Pioneer Athletic Conference schools are in the Class AAAA field vying for district medals and/or berths in the PIAA tournament several weeks from now.

Methacton fared best in Tuesday’s district seeding meeting among the three PAC-10 schools (Perkiomen Valley, Spring-Ford) in the Class AAAA bracket. The Warriors earned a sixth seed and will open at home against 27th seed Bensalem, looking to get back on track after suffering a 44-41 loss to PV in the PAC-10’s Final Four title game Tuesday.

“It’s tough, coming off an emotional game like this and playing in districts,” Methacton head coach Jeff Derstine said afterward. “But we’ll play it one game at a time.”

(For the complete story, click here...)

BOYS BASKETBALL: Perkiomen Valley tops Methacton for PAC-10 title

Perkiomen Valley head coach Mike Poysden cuts down the net in front of a large PV contingent after his team won the PAC-10 boys basketball championship game, 44-41, over Methacton Tuesday night at Spring-Ford. (Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

ROYERSFORD — It was a case of extending the classroom over to the basketball court.
And Perkiomen Valley’s reward for being highly studious was something even the biggest box of gold stars couldn’t address.
The Vikings made a glorious return to prominence Tuesday when they faced Methacton in the championship game of the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s “Final Four” playoffs. Applying the lessons it learned over the course of a down-and-up regular season, PV pulled out a 44-41 victory over the Warriors for their first league title in 11 years.

(For complete story, click here ... )

Perkiomen Valley wins PAC-10 boys basketball championship

Perkiomen Valley wins the PAC-10 boys basketball title, 43-41, over Methacton.

For video from the game check out our YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/PottsMercSports?feature=mhee

Check back for a full recap following the game.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Methacton, Perkiomen Valley expect tight title game

Perkiomen Valley’s Rasaan Stewart and Methacton’s Brendan Casper lead their respective teams into Tuesday night’s PAC-10 boys basketball championship game at Spring-Ford (7 p.m.). (Adrianna Hoff/JRC)

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

ROYERSFORD — It doesn’t take much to get Methacton and Perkiomen Valley stoked for head-to-head athletic competition.
The neighboring Montgomery County school districts have conducted a spirited rivalry for decades, regardless of whether they are in the same league or different ones. That figures to rachet up the intensity level with the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship up for grabs.
“I’m expecting a big-time battle,” Methacton head coach Jeff Derstine said about the year’s third meeting between the Liberty Division front-runners, which tips off 7 p.m. today at Spring-Ford. “The kids are excited about it.”

(For complete story, click here ... )

BOYS BASKETBALL: Perk Valley rolls over Pope John Paul

Perkiomen Valley's Purnell Wilson shoots over the denfense of Pope John Paul II's Brent Mahoney and James Bleming during Saturday's PAC-10 semifinal. Photo by Barry Taglieber.

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

ROYERSFORD — Perkiomen Valley used its week off prior to the Pioneer Athletic Conference boys basketball Final Four wisely. First, the Vikings worked on their set offensive plays. Next, after finding out who their opponent would be, they planned ways to stop Pope John Paul II’s top scorers.

Then when they took the court on Saturday afternoon at Spring-Ford High School, they executed both those phases of the game to near-perfection over the first 13 minutes as they jumped out to an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter and boosted the margin to 16 late in the first half.

That was enough for PV to sustain a PJP run in the third quarter and gain a spot in the championship game with a 65-52 win. Four players scored in double figures for the Liberty Division runner-up Vikings (16-7), who were led by Steve Leonard’s 20 points and Mekhi Clemons’ 12 rebounds. Brent Mahoney scored 27, including 19 in the second half, for the Frontier Division champion Golden Panthers (13-9).

Perk Valley, making its first Final Four appearance since 2007-08, will play for the title on Tuesday at 7 p.m. back at Spring-Ford against Methacton, a 53-51 winner over Phoenixville.

(For the complete story, click here...)

BOYS BASKETBALL: Four fast finishes vie for best finish in the PAC-10 playoffs

Methacton’s Brendan Casper, right, and Perkiomen Valley’s Rasaan Stewart have helped their respective teams reach the PAC-10 playoffs this season. Casper (21.9 ppg) and the Liberty Division champion Warriors face Frontier runner-up Phoenixville in a league semifinal tonight (7:45 p.m.) after Stewart and the Vikings face Frontier winner Pope John Paul II in the other semifinal (6 p.m.) Both games are part of a doubleheader at Spring-Ford. (Adrianna Hoff/JRC)

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

Fast finishes were a hallmark of the Pioneer Athletic Conference this winter.
The circuit’s top schools, across the board, came on strong down the stretch to solidify their positions at the top of the regular-season standings. Now, the question will be which of the front-runners will be able to maintain that pace in the postseason — and come away with a championship.
The PAC-10’s Franklin K. Manley “Final Four” playoffs get under way tonight at Spring-Ford High School, with a doubleheader pitting the top teams from the Liberty and Frontier Divisions. It’s return trips for two clubs (Methacton, Pope John Paul II), and the end of multiple-year absences for two others (Perkiomen Valley, Phoenixville), yet all share one common thread.
That sprint to the finish line.
“Our playoffs started with six league games left,” head coach Randy Reber said of his Phantom unit, which won six of its last 10 games after starting the year 5-7. “The kids worked hard and responded well. They had to learn how to play together at the offensive end.”
Phoenixville will face defending PAC-10 champion Methacton in the nightcap of the opening-round doubleheader, their tip-off scheduled for approximately 7:45 p.m. Kicking off the twinbill will be Pope John Paul II and Perkiomen Valley at 6 p.m.

(For complete story, click here ... )

COLLEGE SIGNING: Perkiomen Valley’s Natalie Marsh headed to American

Photo courtesy of Perkiomen Valley High School Natalie Marsh signs a letter of intent to play field hockey at American University. Seated with Natalie is her mother Elizabeth Mosteller. Back row, from left: father John Marsh, coach Erik Enters, stepfather Todd Mosteller.

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

GRATERFORD — Natalie Marsh knows a thing or two about working together, having been part of a cohesive Perkiomen Valley unit during her high school field hockey career.
She is hopeful to continue that trend in college.
Marsh, a midfielder and All-Area first team selection, signed a national letter of intent Wednesday to accept a scholarship to attend American University in Washington, D.C., and play for the NCAA Division I Eagles.

(For complete story, click here ... )

SWIMMING: Perkiomen Valley runs win streak to 32 straight

Perkiomen Valley’s Seth Underwood wins the boys 500 freestyle. Photo by Kevin Hoffman, The Mercury

By Rosemarie Ross
rross@pottsmerc.com

GRATERFORD — Facing their toughest challenge of the season, the Perkiomen Valley boys came in twice as pumped up and kept right on streaking, holding off Boyertown, 100-83, in a Pioneer Athletic Conference showdown to stretch their record of consecutive dual meet wins to 32, Tuesday, at the Vikings pool.
And that’s not just PAC-10 dual wins, but includes Ches-Mont League and non-league duals, starting back in 2010.
The Perk Valley girls made it a clean sweep, beating Boyertown, 98-77,

(For complete story, click here ... )