Tonight I returned to the Hive at Hickory High School for the first boys basketball game for this blog for a midseason showdown between the homestanding Hickory Hornets and the visiting Sharon Tigers.
Sharon won the junior varsity undercard.
Hickory came into the main event - the first one of the new decade - off of a historic overtime victory over Philadelphia powerhouse Constitution to close out the old decade.
And Donald Whitehead and Peyton Mele set the tone combining for eight early points. It was Mele who hit the first trifecta of the night. Mele eventually finished four for four from the field with 14 points to go with 14 rebounds for a double double.
Connor Evans scored the first points off the bench for the hosts, who led 19-10 after one.
Matt Cannone had four of his first six points come in the paint. Jackson Pryts would contribute 4 points off the bench in the second quarter. Evans' first 4 points came in the paint. Sharon's first trifecta came from Shawn Hill. But Whitehead finished the first half with 10 points for the Hornets, who led 33-17 at the intermission.
But Mele set the tone for the second half with two trifectas in a row to spark a 10-0 Hickory run early in the half. The Hornets ended the third quarter with a 50-25 advantage.
However, the Hornets started the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run. Sharon made a late rally, but the barn door was locked and the horse was out. Hickory held on to win the game 63-42.
Although Donald Whitehead led all scorers with 17 points, Peyton Mele was named player of the game with his 14 point, 14 rebound double double. Connor Evans' 7 points off the bench was enough to earn him the Sub of the Game honors.
The win raises the Hornets' record in region 5 to 6-0 and 7-3 overall. Sharon fell to 3-2 in region 5 and 5-5 overall.
This was round one of the rivalry. Round two will be later this month.
The difference between this game and the Hickory-Sharon football game in August was that I did not make another wager with a Tigers fan on the outcome. I had already done that in August when I wagered birthday balloons with Molly Bundrant on the outcome of the Hickory-Sharon football game, which I won and await Molly Bundrant paying up on the wager in July.
The next game I will cover will likely be a girls basketball game. Where will it be at, you ask? Like I said before, you will have to stay tuned to this blog, because with basketball, you never know where I will show up with my iPad and stylus!
Friday, January 3, 2020
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Recapping West Middlesex v. Mercer
Last night after work I traveled from Boyers to West Middlesex for Senior Night at Big Reds Stadium between the homestanding West Middlesex Big Reds and the visiting Mercer Mustangs. The stakes in this matchup were high because the winner would get the last available seed in the District X playoffs in 1A out of the region.
You could not have asked for better weather for this high stakes matchup. Also, both teams came in healthy with no injuries to speak of. Although West Middlesex won the coin toss, they elected to kick, so Mercer got the ball to start the game; however, they went three and out on their opening drive. The first portion of the game was a defensive struggle until Zeb Rubaker hit pay dirt from 36 yards out to draw first blood for the Big Reds.
Early in the second quarter, Jason Davis scored from 1 yard out to extend the West Middlesex lead to 14-0. Alex Rea would later score on a 10 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ty Tate to extend the home team's lead to 21-0 at the intermission.
Alex Rea scored again in the third quarter from 2 yards out to make it 28-0 Big Reds after three. Zeb Rubaker scored in the fourth quarter from 18 yards out to extend the lead to 35-0 and enforce the mercy clock. That's how the game would end: West Middlesex 35, Mercer 0.
With the win, West Middlesex qualifies for the District X playoffs in 1A.
Zeb Rubaker's 19 carries, 174 yards and 2 touchdowns earned him the Player of the Game t-shirt from O'Neill Coffee and SportsRadio 96.7/NewsTalk 790.
This will be the last football blog entry for the regular season. Who knows where I will show up come the start of the District X playoffs? You'll just have to stay tuned to this blog during the playoffs, because you never know where I will show up!
You could not have asked for better weather for this high stakes matchup. Also, both teams came in healthy with no injuries to speak of. Although West Middlesex won the coin toss, they elected to kick, so Mercer got the ball to start the game; however, they went three and out on their opening drive. The first portion of the game was a defensive struggle until Zeb Rubaker hit pay dirt from 36 yards out to draw first blood for the Big Reds.
Early in the second quarter, Jason Davis scored from 1 yard out to extend the West Middlesex lead to 14-0. Alex Rea would later score on a 10 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ty Tate to extend the home team's lead to 21-0 at the intermission.
Alex Rea scored again in the third quarter from 2 yards out to make it 28-0 Big Reds after three. Zeb Rubaker scored in the fourth quarter from 18 yards out to extend the lead to 35-0 and enforce the mercy clock. That's how the game would end: West Middlesex 35, Mercer 0.
With the win, West Middlesex qualifies for the District X playoffs in 1A.
Zeb Rubaker's 19 carries, 174 yards and 2 touchdowns earned him the Player of the Game t-shirt from O'Neill Coffee and SportsRadio 96.7/NewsTalk 790.
This will be the last football blog entry for the regular season. Who knows where I will show up come the start of the District X playoffs? You'll just have to stay tuned to this blog during the playoffs, because you never know where I will show up!
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Previewing West Middlesex v. Mercer
Tomorrow evening I plan to be in West Middlesex for a high stakes matchup between the homestanding West Middlesex Big Reds and the visiting Mercer Mustangs.
At stake is a spot in the 1A District X playoffs. Simply put, it's win or go home.
Both squads had one-sided nonconference wins last week. Mercer and its Delaware Wing-T offense defeated the Panthers of Saegertown 47-10 on the road while West Middlesex successfully defended its home turf by shutting out visiting Cambridge Springs 42-0.
The key matchup in this high stakes game is the Mustangs' Delaware Wing-T offense against the front seven of the Big Reds. The Big Reds defense ranks third in scoring defense by allowing an average of 15 points per game. However, Mercer has had four more takeaways than giveaways.
West Middlesex has won the last six consecutive meetings dating back to 2011's District X 1A semifinals.
SportsRadio 96.7 will have radio coverage of this high stakes matchup with Professor Ryan Briggs and his broadcast partner Chris Burtch calling the action.
At stake is a spot in the 1A District X playoffs. Simply put, it's win or go home.
Both squads had one-sided nonconference wins last week. Mercer and its Delaware Wing-T offense defeated the Panthers of Saegertown 47-10 on the road while West Middlesex successfully defended its home turf by shutting out visiting Cambridge Springs 42-0.
The key matchup in this high stakes game is the Mustangs' Delaware Wing-T offense against the front seven of the Big Reds. The Big Reds defense ranks third in scoring defense by allowing an average of 15 points per game. However, Mercer has had four more takeaways than giveaways.
West Middlesex has won the last six consecutive meetings dating back to 2011's District X 1A semifinals.
SportsRadio 96.7 will have radio coverage of this high stakes matchup with Professor Ryan Briggs and his broadcast partner Chris Burtch calling the action.
Friday, September 27, 2019
Recapping a Happy Homecoming in Hermitage
Tonight I returned home to Hickory High School's Hornet Stadium for Homecoming 2019 where the Hornets hosted the Grove City Eagles.
In my preview I said that oddsmakers had Grove City as a pick favorite. But I also said that this would likely be a trap game on the road for the Eagles. You couldn't have asked for better weather for homecoming. The Eagles were playing without Dillon Winger, who is on the shelf with a sprained left knee.
Grove City won the coin toss, but deferred to the second half.
And just 30 seconds in, the tone was set when Matthew Cannone fired a tailback option pass to Ramarion Whitehead for a 52 yard touchdown strike to make it 7-0 Hornets. But by the midpoint of the first quarter, Grove City answered with a 13 yard touchdown run by Curtis Hovis to tie things up at 7 apiece after one.
Hickory took the for good in the second quarter when Ramarion Whitehead caught another touchdown pass, this time from Michael Henwood from 18 yards out to make it 14-7 Hornets at the intermission.
Early in the second half, Daiveon Say caught a 39 yard touchdown pass from Logan Breese to get the Eagles within one (the PAT was blocked) after three.
But in the fourth, Nathan Richards caught a 27 yard touchdown pass from Henwood to extend the Hornets lead to 21-13.
Things got tense in the final two minutes when Zack Martin found pay dirt from four yards out to get the Eagles within two. They went for the tie, but the pass was broken up. Grove City would have to execute an onsides kick. They recovered it, but there was laundry on the field. The ball did not go the required minimum ten yards, and three Michael Henwood kneel downs later, it was over. The final score was Hickory 21, Grove City 19.
Michael Henwood was the recipient of the Player Of the Game t-shirt courtesy of O'Neill Coffee and Steve's Teez.
It's a happy homecoming in Hermitage with the Hornets win over previously undefeated Grove City!
In my preview I said that oddsmakers had Grove City as a pick favorite. But I also said that this would likely be a trap game on the road for the Eagles. You couldn't have asked for better weather for homecoming. The Eagles were playing without Dillon Winger, who is on the shelf with a sprained left knee.
Grove City won the coin toss, but deferred to the second half.
And just 30 seconds in, the tone was set when Matthew Cannone fired a tailback option pass to Ramarion Whitehead for a 52 yard touchdown strike to make it 7-0 Hornets. But by the midpoint of the first quarter, Grove City answered with a 13 yard touchdown run by Curtis Hovis to tie things up at 7 apiece after one.
Hickory took the for good in the second quarter when Ramarion Whitehead caught another touchdown pass, this time from Michael Henwood from 18 yards out to make it 14-7 Hornets at the intermission.
Early in the second half, Daiveon Say caught a 39 yard touchdown pass from Logan Breese to get the Eagles within one (the PAT was blocked) after three.
But in the fourth, Nathan Richards caught a 27 yard touchdown pass from Henwood to extend the Hornets lead to 21-13.
Things got tense in the final two minutes when Zack Martin found pay dirt from four yards out to get the Eagles within two. They went for the tie, but the pass was broken up. Grove City would have to execute an onsides kick. They recovered it, but there was laundry on the field. The ball did not go the required minimum ten yards, and three Michael Henwood kneel downs later, it was over. The final score was Hickory 21, Grove City 19.
Michael Henwood was the recipient of the Player Of the Game t-shirt courtesy of O'Neill Coffee and Steve's Teez.
It's a happy homecoming in Hermitage with the Hornets win over previously undefeated Grove City!
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Previewing Hickory v. Grove City
Tomorrow night I plan to be at Hornet Stadium for the game between the homestanding Hickory Hornets and the visiting Grove City Eagles.
It is homecoming in Hermitage tomorrow night.
Last week Grove City celebrated a happy homecoming with a 31-16 win over rival Slippery Rock. Meanwhile, Hickory ruined homecoming in Greenville with a 28-7 victory.
The two teams come in evenly matched in nearly every statistic. Oddsmakers have made Grove City a pick favorite over the Hornets. However, this could be your classic trap game on the road that the Eagles need to be aware of going into the contest.
Hickory head coach Bill Dungee has won all four of his games in Mercer County since joining the hive at Hickory. His lone loss came in Crawford County three weeks ago when they lost to Conneaut.
SportsRadio 96.7 will have live coverage of the homecoming game in Hermitage with Mark Slezak and Bob Greenburg at the mike.
It is homecoming in Hermitage tomorrow night.
Last week Grove City celebrated a happy homecoming with a 31-16 win over rival Slippery Rock. Meanwhile, Hickory ruined homecoming in Greenville with a 28-7 victory.
The two teams come in evenly matched in nearly every statistic. Oddsmakers have made Grove City a pick favorite over the Hornets. However, this could be your classic trap game on the road that the Eagles need to be aware of going into the contest.
Hickory head coach Bill Dungee has won all four of his games in Mercer County since joining the hive at Hickory. His lone loss came in Crawford County three weeks ago when they lost to Conneaut.
SportsRadio 96.7 will have live coverage of the homecoming game in Hermitage with Mark Slezak and Bob Greenburg at the mike.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Recapping Sharpsville v. Sharon 21 September 2019
Last night, I went to McCracken Field in Sharpsville for the rivalry game between Sharpsville's Blue Devils and Sharon's Tigers. The rivalry is Mercer County's oldest, dating back to 1899.
You could not have asked for better weather for the matchup, nor could you have also asked for any wind. The weather was perfect and the winds were calm.
Sharon was playing without the services of Javionne Smith, who was on the shelf with a broken arm. Sharpsville was without Tyler Clary, who was on the shelf with a separated shoulder.
This game was a rare Saturday night game for me to cover for this blog. It was made possible because Penn State football was idle. Sharon won the coin toss, but deferred to the second half.
And Sharon quarterback Lane Voytik set the tone in the first quarter with an early touchdown on a one yard keeper. Brady Ortiz would add a 35 yard rushing touchdown to make it 14-0 Tigers after one.
Sharon would score 20 more points in the second quarter, first on a 27 yard rushing touchdown by Tyvell Richardson. Next came a 50 yard touchdown reception from Lane Voytik to Ty Eilam. Corte Williams would add a 59 yard punt return touchdown to make the halftime score 34-0 Tigers. At that point, I was expecting that Blue Devils partisans would boo their team off the field as the teams headed to the locker room.
But in the second half, Sharon would not let up. Richardson found pay dirt again on a 78 yard kickoff return to make the score 40-0 Sharon and enforce the mercy clock the rest of the night. The last touchdown was scored by Brett Salsgiver from 5 yards out to make the final score 46-0 Sharon. The Tigers' Corte Williams was the player of the game.
I suggest that Sharpsville football and band boosters plan a pep rally on Friday afternoon in the gymnasium prior to the end of the school day so that everyone at Sharpsville High School get pumped up for their Homecoming game against the Lakeview Sailors.
Stay tune to this blog to find out where I will be for week six!
You could not have asked for better weather for the matchup, nor could you have also asked for any wind. The weather was perfect and the winds were calm.
Sharon was playing without the services of Javionne Smith, who was on the shelf with a broken arm. Sharpsville was without Tyler Clary, who was on the shelf with a separated shoulder.
This game was a rare Saturday night game for me to cover for this blog. It was made possible because Penn State football was idle. Sharon won the coin toss, but deferred to the second half.
And Sharon quarterback Lane Voytik set the tone in the first quarter with an early touchdown on a one yard keeper. Brady Ortiz would add a 35 yard rushing touchdown to make it 14-0 Tigers after one.
Sharon would score 20 more points in the second quarter, first on a 27 yard rushing touchdown by Tyvell Richardson. Next came a 50 yard touchdown reception from Lane Voytik to Ty Eilam. Corte Williams would add a 59 yard punt return touchdown to make the halftime score 34-0 Tigers. At that point, I was expecting that Blue Devils partisans would boo their team off the field as the teams headed to the locker room.
But in the second half, Sharon would not let up. Richardson found pay dirt again on a 78 yard kickoff return to make the score 40-0 Sharon and enforce the mercy clock the rest of the night. The last touchdown was scored by Brett Salsgiver from 5 yards out to make the final score 46-0 Sharon. The Tigers' Corte Williams was the player of the game.
I suggest that Sharpsville football and band boosters plan a pep rally on Friday afternoon in the gymnasium prior to the end of the school day so that everyone at Sharpsville High School get pumped up for their Homecoming game against the Lakeview Sailors.
Stay tune to this blog to find out where I will be for week six!
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Preview of Sharpsville v. Sharon
This Saturday night I plan to be at The Pines in Sharpsville as the homestanding Sharpsville Blue Devils host the visiting Sharon Tigers.
It will be a rare Saturday game for me to cover for this blog as my beloved Penn State Nittany Lions are idle this week.
The Sharpsville-Sharon rivalry is the oldest one in Mercer County, dating back to 1899. The 2019 renewal will feature a Tigers defense that has pitched consecutive shutouts and a Blue Devils defense that has allowed a combined 46 points through four games, so something has got to give on Saturday in Sharpsville.
The key matchup will be Sharon's passing attack that leads Mercer County in virtually all categories against the Sharpsville secondary.
Last week Sharon shut down the Slippery Rock Rockets' passing attack led by Vito Cortese and pitched a 14-0 shutout at Tiger Stadium. Ty Eilam and Lane Voytik (who played with a heavy heart following the recent death of his grandfather) shared player of the game honors. Sharpsville blew a 12-0 halftime lead and lost 20-12 to the Greenville Trojans.
The last two matchups were not decided until the final minutes. In 2017, Sharon denied Sharpsville on a two point conversion attempt to preserve a one-point win. The following year, Sharpsville placekicker Michael Herman booted a 24 yard field goal with under ten seconds left to give the Blue Devils a 23-21 win.
SportsRadio 96.7 will have radio coverage of the matchup with Mark Slezak on play-by-play and his longtime partner Bob Greenburg as color analyst.
It will be a rare Saturday game for me to cover for this blog as my beloved Penn State Nittany Lions are idle this week.
The Sharpsville-Sharon rivalry is the oldest one in Mercer County, dating back to 1899. The 2019 renewal will feature a Tigers defense that has pitched consecutive shutouts and a Blue Devils defense that has allowed a combined 46 points through four games, so something has got to give on Saturday in Sharpsville.
The key matchup will be Sharon's passing attack that leads Mercer County in virtually all categories against the Sharpsville secondary.
Last week Sharon shut down the Slippery Rock Rockets' passing attack led by Vito Cortese and pitched a 14-0 shutout at Tiger Stadium. Ty Eilam and Lane Voytik (who played with a heavy heart following the recent death of his grandfather) shared player of the game honors. Sharpsville blew a 12-0 halftime lead and lost 20-12 to the Greenville Trojans.
The last two matchups were not decided until the final minutes. In 2017, Sharon denied Sharpsville on a two point conversion attempt to preserve a one-point win. The following year, Sharpsville placekicker Michael Herman booted a 24 yard field goal with under ten seconds left to give the Blue Devils a 23-21 win.
SportsRadio 96.7 will have radio coverage of the matchup with Mark Slezak on play-by-play and his longtime partner Bob Greenburg as color analyst.
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