ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Owen J. Roberts’ Colby Frank and Spring-Ford’s Sarah Payonk

Colby Frank

Sarah Payonk

BOYS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Colby Frank
Owen J. Roberts
Wrestling

What he has done
Frank outdid everyone in the 126-pound weight class during the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s inaugural championship tournament. The Wildcat junior (21-4) opened with a pin of Pottsgrove’s Tyler Van Horn, blanked Spring-Ford’s Sean Hennessey (3-0), then beat Boyertown’s Eddie Kriczky (5-2) for the gold medal and the tourney’s Outstanding Wrestler Award.

What he says
“I take every match and wrestle everyone like it’s my last match. You can’t go out there and over-think. It’s the postseason now, and I know what my goals are. I know what I want to get done.”

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ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Daniel Boone’s Kenny Worthington and Upper Perkiomen’s Stacey Auckland

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

BOYS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Kenny Worthington
Daniel Boone
Boys Basketball

What he has done
Worthington provided solid all-round play for the Blazers during a week that saw them earn a spot in the Berks Conference playoffs. The Boone junior scored a combined 25 points, pulled down 13 rebounds, dished off three assists and blocked four shots to help the team edge Wilson, 42-41, and qualify for the playoffs.

What he says
“Earlier in the season, we were trying to come from behind. We’re a strong team. We feel we can really play with anybody.”

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ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Methacton’s Brendan Casper and Pope John Paul II’s Haley Mesaros

By Mercury Staff
sports@pottsmerc.com

Brendan Casper

Haley Mesaros

BOYS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Brendan Casper
Methacton
Basketball

What he has done
Casper reached a personal milestone for his scholastic hoop career last week, reaching the 1,000-point plateau in the Warriors’ win over Boyertown. It capped a big week for the Methacton senior, who had a combined 44 points and 32 rebounds in three games his team won in its bid to go unbeaten in the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s regular season.

What he says
“It was nice to have that accomplishment ... get it over before the playoffs started. I knew it was going to be close toward the end of the season. I scored a little more than I was expecting to score.”

GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Haley Mesaros
Pope John Paul II
Girls Basketball

What she has done
Senior wing erupted for a career-high 23 points, highlighted by four 3-pointers, to lead the Golden Panthers to a 56-46 victory over Upper Perkiomen that clinched the Frontier Division title. The 5-foot-7 Mesaros, who missed five games due to a stress fracture in her foot, ranks second on the squad with a 9.8 scoring average.

What she says
“I just try to provide offense and also play good defense and help my teammates.”

HONORABLE MENTION
Jenna Carroll, Methacton, Girls Basketball
Emma Christman, Owen J. Roberts, Girls Swimming
Matt Crider, Owen J. Roberts, Boys Basketball
Dan Downs, Daniel Boone, Boys Basketball
Eva Gerhart, Owen J. Roberts, Girls Swimming
Aubrey Gibbs, Upper Perkiomen, Girls Basketball
Adam Moser, Owen J. Roberts, Wrestling
Morgan Schreiber, Pottsgrove, Boys Swimming
Logan Thorneloe, Perkiomen Valley, Boys Swimming
Jordan Wood, Boyertown, Wrestling

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Perkiomen Valley’s Steve Leonard and Methacton’s Kelsey Watson

BOYS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Steve Leonard
Perkiomen Valley
Boys Basketball
What he has done
The 6-foot-5 senior wing scored a game-high 16 points in Tuesday’s breakthrough 43-41 victory over Spring-Ford, and also contributed a combined 27 points in wins over Wissahickon and Souderton as the Vikings extended their winning streak to 11 games.
What he says
“The key for me is to just do whatever I can to make my team better. Knocking down 3-pointers has always been my specialty, but anything else I can do, like driving to the basket, making the extra pass, and basically trying to make my team better in practice, is my goal.”

GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Kelsey Watson
Methacton
Girls Basketball
What she has done
The 5-foot-10 senior forward continued her consistent campaign with team-highs of 16 and 21 points, respectively, in wins over Souderton and Cheltenham. Watson, a Kutztown University recruit, ranks second in the PAC-10 with a 16.1 scoring average
What she says
“I try to provide intensity and rebounding and scoring. We’ve been playing as a team and we’re playing real well together down the stretch.”

HONORABLE MENTION
Morgan Aldinger, Upper Perkiomen, Girls Basketball
Casey Cook, Upper Perkiomen, Wrestling
Matt Crider, Owen J. Roberts, Boys Basketball
Rebecca Cubbler, Spring-Ford, Girls Swimming
Denzel Harvey, Pottstown, Boys Basketball
Sean Hennessey, Spring-Ford, Wrestling
Kyle Himmelwright, Upper Perkiomen, Boys Swimming
Rachel Malampy, Owen J. Roberts, Girls Swimming
Jason Mercando, Upper Perkiomen, Boys Swimming
Dominick Petrucelli, Owen J. Roberts, Wrestling
Sammy Stipa, Spring-Ford, Girls Basketball