Tonight I found myself at Tiger Stadium in Sharon as the homestanding Tigers hosted the visiting Rockets of Slippery Rock. It was a matchup in Region 5 2A under considerable cloudy skies as the sun set in the west in the early going.
Lane Voytik, the Tigers quarterback, was not only playing with a high ankle sprain that I was worried about going into the game, but he was also playing with a heavy heart following the recent death of his grandfather.
Sharon won the coin toss, but they deferred to the second half.
The first quarter was a defensive struggle, with neither side able to gain an early advantage through the first 12 minutes of the contest. But then, just 12 seconds into the second quarter, Lane Voytik through a touchdown pass to Ty Eilam from 31 yards out to draw first blood for the hosts. As I watched the Tigers celebrate, I was probably thinking that Voytik was looking up to the heavens and said, "This one's for you, grandpa."
The touchdown made the halftime score 7-0 in favor of the host Tigers.
In the late stages of the third quarter, CJ Parchman hit pay dirt when he caught a 19 yard touchdown reception from Voytik to make the score 14-0 Sharon. That's how the game would end.
Eilam and Voytik were both named co-players of the game for tonight. The win capped an emotional week for Lane Voytik and his family. I suppose that Tigers coach Jason McElhenny gave Voytik the game ball tonight knowing that Voytik wanted to play tonight when he didn't really have to play following the death of his grandfather.
Next Saturday evening I plan to be at the Pines in Sharpsville as the Tigers take on the Sharpsville Blue Devils. Stay tuned to this blog for my preview post of the matchup.
Friday, September 13, 2019
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Previewing Sharon v. Slippery Rock
Tomorrow evening I will be at Tiger Stadium in Sharon as the homestanding Sharon Tigers play host to the visiting Slippery Rock Rockets.
Sharon is coming off of its first win of the Jason McElhenny era after they shut out Fairview 42-0. They will look to get to the .500 mark tomorrow night, however, the Rockets, coming off of a 35-6 victory over Franklin, might have something to say about that.
Two weeks ago at Hickory, I was worried about the ankle injury that Lane Voytik sustained in an opening week loss at Wilmington. He played, bad ankle and all, and nearly got the Tigers into the end zone to potentially force overtime, but Hickory's defense swatted the pass down to the turf and held on to win. I am still worried about Voytik's ankle, even though he still needs 109 yards to become Mercer County's all-time career passing leader.
Vito Pilosi of the Rockets, one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in District X, has one of the top passer ratings in the District when you use the NCAA model (164.8). He can also run the ball as well, as his style of play mirrors that of current Baltimore Ravens rookie quarterback Trace McSorley.
One of the key matchups in this game will be the Sharon Tigers' passing attack against the Rockets' secondary. Sharon leads the area in passing yardage with an average of 173.8 yards per game, while the Rockets have allowed 195.3 yards on average per game.
SportsRadio 96.7 will have radio coverage of this matchup, with Mark Slezak and Bob Greenburg calling the action from Tiger Stadium.
Sharon is coming off of its first win of the Jason McElhenny era after they shut out Fairview 42-0. They will look to get to the .500 mark tomorrow night, however, the Rockets, coming off of a 35-6 victory over Franklin, might have something to say about that.
Two weeks ago at Hickory, I was worried about the ankle injury that Lane Voytik sustained in an opening week loss at Wilmington. He played, bad ankle and all, and nearly got the Tigers into the end zone to potentially force overtime, but Hickory's defense swatted the pass down to the turf and held on to win. I am still worried about Voytik's ankle, even though he still needs 109 yards to become Mercer County's all-time career passing leader.
Vito Pilosi of the Rockets, one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in District X, has one of the top passer ratings in the District when you use the NCAA model (164.8). He can also run the ball as well, as his style of play mirrors that of current Baltimore Ravens rookie quarterback Trace McSorley.
One of the key matchups in this game will be the Sharon Tigers' passing attack against the Rockets' secondary. Sharon leads the area in passing yardage with an average of 173.8 yards per game, while the Rockets have allowed 195.3 yards on average per game.
SportsRadio 96.7 will have radio coverage of this matchup, with Mark Slezak and Bob Greenburg calling the action from Tiger Stadium.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Recap of Hickory-Sharon rivalry game 30 August 2019
Last night I found myself with my father at Hornet Stadium for the rivalry matchup between the homestanding Hickory Hornets and the visiting Sharon Tigers. You could not have asked for better weather for the game, because there was nary a cloud in the sky at kickoff.
Although I was worried about an ankle injury to Sharon quarterback Lane Voytik, he decided to suit up and play despite the injury. What made this rivalry matchup intriguing was that I had a personal wager with Tigers fan Molly Bundrant on the outcome of the game. If the Hornets won, Molly would have to send me red and black balloons in July 2020. If the Tigers won, I would have to send her orange and black balloons in December. Although Sharon won the coin toss, they deferred to the second half.
The early going saw a defensive struggle. Sharon drew first blood late in the opening quarter on a CJ Parchman 2 yard run.
In the second quarter, Hickory had a sustained drive that saw Michael Henwood throw a 15 yard touchdown pass to Nathan Richards to tie things up at 7 apiece. Sharon would reclaim the lead with a Ty Elam 13 yard reception. But as time expired in the first half, Nathan Richards scored again with a 17 yard reception (the PAT failed) to get Hickory within one at the break.
Sharon would extend their lead to 21-13 with another Ty Elam touchdown reception, but Hickory answered back with a Michael Henwood 57 yard touchdown run and then convert on the 2 point try to tie things up at 21 apiece after three quarters. Thus, my wager with Molly Bundrant would come down to the final 12 minutes.
Just when everyone at Hornet Stadium thought the game would be going to overtime, Kam Fisher scored the winning touchdown from 9 yards out to give the Hornets their first lead of the night, 28-21. Sharon drove down to the Hickory 14 yard line in the final 74 seconds, but a desperation pass on fourth down fell incomplete, giving the Hornets the win to raise their record to 2-0 and also helping me win my wager with Molly Bundrant.
I will be receiving red and black balloons from Molly for my next birthday in July 2020 as part of the wager we made on the game.
I did not expect to run into some of my church softball friends at the game as well as some folks I knew when I was in high school. Plus, I snagged a selfie with the Hornets mascot named Buzzy. Hickory High School did not have an official mascot when I was in high school from 1999 to 2003.
Stay tuned to this blog when I announce my destination for week four on September 13!
Although I was worried about an ankle injury to Sharon quarterback Lane Voytik, he decided to suit up and play despite the injury. What made this rivalry matchup intriguing was that I had a personal wager with Tigers fan Molly Bundrant on the outcome of the game. If the Hornets won, Molly would have to send me red and black balloons in July 2020. If the Tigers won, I would have to send her orange and black balloons in December. Although Sharon won the coin toss, they deferred to the second half.
The early going saw a defensive struggle. Sharon drew first blood late in the opening quarter on a CJ Parchman 2 yard run.
In the second quarter, Hickory had a sustained drive that saw Michael Henwood throw a 15 yard touchdown pass to Nathan Richards to tie things up at 7 apiece. Sharon would reclaim the lead with a Ty Elam 13 yard reception. But as time expired in the first half, Nathan Richards scored again with a 17 yard reception (the PAT failed) to get Hickory within one at the break.
Sharon would extend their lead to 21-13 with another Ty Elam touchdown reception, but Hickory answered back with a Michael Henwood 57 yard touchdown run and then convert on the 2 point try to tie things up at 21 apiece after three quarters. Thus, my wager with Molly Bundrant would come down to the final 12 minutes.
Just when everyone at Hornet Stadium thought the game would be going to overtime, Kam Fisher scored the winning touchdown from 9 yards out to give the Hornets their first lead of the night, 28-21. Sharon drove down to the Hickory 14 yard line in the final 74 seconds, but a desperation pass on fourth down fell incomplete, giving the Hornets the win to raise their record to 2-0 and also helping me win my wager with Molly Bundrant.
I will be receiving red and black balloons from Molly for my next birthday in July 2020 as part of the wager we made on the game.
I did not expect to run into some of my church softball friends at the game as well as some folks I knew when I was in high school. Plus, I snagged a selfie with the Hornets mascot named Buzzy. Hickory High School did not have an official mascot when I was in high school from 1999 to 2003.
Stay tuned to this blog when I announce my destination for week four on September 13!
Monday, August 26, 2019
Previewing the Hickory-Sharon rivalry matchup
This Friday night I plan to be at Hornet Stadium for the rivalry matchup between the visiting Sharon Tigers and the homestanding Hickory Hornets.
Both teams have first year head coaches. Bill Dungee is the new leader of the swarm of Hornets in Hermitage, succeeding Bill Brest. The Tigers have Jason McElhanney leading their pack following the retirement of Jim Wildman.
The Bill Dungee era in Hermitage began with a 14-6 victory for the Hornets over the Blue Devils of Sharpsville, while the Jason McElhanney era at Sharon began with a humiliating 26-14 loss to the Wilmington Greyhounds. Hickory will look to build on the initial win of the Dungee era as they open the home portion of their 2019 schedule. Sharon is hoping to take their frustration of losing to Wilmington out on Hickory in hopes of getting their new head coach his first win.
Sharon might have to play at Hickory without their starting quarterback Lane Voytik, who sustained an injury at Wilmington.
The game will be on the radio with Ryan Briggs and Chris Burtch calling the action from Hornet Stadium. I will be armed with my iPad, stylus and a program with rosters from both squads in my hands to compile game notes that I plan to post in a recap blog entry.
Both teams have first year head coaches. Bill Dungee is the new leader of the swarm of Hornets in Hermitage, succeeding Bill Brest. The Tigers have Jason McElhanney leading their pack following the retirement of Jim Wildman.
The Bill Dungee era in Hermitage began with a 14-6 victory for the Hornets over the Blue Devils of Sharpsville, while the Jason McElhanney era at Sharon began with a humiliating 26-14 loss to the Wilmington Greyhounds. Hickory will look to build on the initial win of the Dungee era as they open the home portion of their 2019 schedule. Sharon is hoping to take their frustration of losing to Wilmington out on Hickory in hopes of getting their new head coach his first win.
Sharon might have to play at Hickory without their starting quarterback Lane Voytik, who sustained an injury at Wilmington.
The game will be on the radio with Ryan Briggs and Chris Burtch calling the action from Hornet Stadium. I will be armed with my iPad, stylus and a program with rosters from both squads in my hands to compile game notes that I plan to post in a recap blog entry.
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Recap of West Middlesex-Farrell game 14 September 2018
Originally, I had planned on being at the Wilmington-Lakeview game last night, but because the professor, Ryan Briggs, determined in his previews on Thursday that West Middlesex-Farrell was the game of the week, I instead hightailed it to West Middlesex for the game. Professor Briggs' preview stated that it would be a battle of undefeated, state-ranked teams. Weather-wise, you could not have asked for better football weather, because the weather was perfect.
A pre-game chat with my former station manager Bob Greenburg revealed that Farrell lost senior Natoreus Atwood for the season with an ACL injury.
West Middlesex won the toss and deferred; so that meant Farrell would get the ball to start the game. And just 27 seconds in, the tone was set when Christian Lewis scored on a 42 yard run.
Farrell would score three more touchdowns in the first quarter (one by quarterback Kyi Wright from 1 yard out, Jourdan Townsend on a 23 yard pass from Wright, and Christian Lewis from 6 yards out), to make it 28-0 Farrell after one.
Townsend would score again in the second quarter, but the PAT failed. The halftime score was Farrell 34, West Middlesex 0.
A ho-hum third quarter ended with no change in the score.
Kyi Wright invoked the mercy clock in the fourth quarter when he scored from 42 yards out to make the final score Farrell 40, West Middlesex 0.
To be honest, West Middlesex had no offense and no answers for Farrell. The stat of the night was Farrell having two 100 yard rushers (Kyi Wright with 122, Christian Lewis with exactly 100). Christian Lewis was awarded the O'Neill Coffee Player of the Game t-shirt.
Next week I plan on being in Mercer for the Mercer-Union City game. Before the season started I saw a tweet from Tom Reisenweber of the Erie Times-News that he saw a bear in Mercer, with the hilarious reply from Professor Briggs that maybe Union City was scouting for Mercer.
A pre-game chat with my former station manager Bob Greenburg revealed that Farrell lost senior Natoreus Atwood for the season with an ACL injury.
West Middlesex won the toss and deferred; so that meant Farrell would get the ball to start the game. And just 27 seconds in, the tone was set when Christian Lewis scored on a 42 yard run.
Farrell would score three more touchdowns in the first quarter (one by quarterback Kyi Wright from 1 yard out, Jourdan Townsend on a 23 yard pass from Wright, and Christian Lewis from 6 yards out), to make it 28-0 Farrell after one.
Townsend would score again in the second quarter, but the PAT failed. The halftime score was Farrell 34, West Middlesex 0.
A ho-hum third quarter ended with no change in the score.
Kyi Wright invoked the mercy clock in the fourth quarter when he scored from 42 yards out to make the final score Farrell 40, West Middlesex 0.
To be honest, West Middlesex had no offense and no answers for Farrell. The stat of the night was Farrell having two 100 yard rushers (Kyi Wright with 122, Christian Lewis with exactly 100). Christian Lewis was awarded the O'Neill Coffee Player of the Game t-shirt.
Next week I plan on being in Mercer for the Mercer-Union City game. Before the season started I saw a tweet from Tom Reisenweber of the Erie Times-News that he saw a bear in Mercer, with the hilarious reply from Professor Briggs that maybe Union City was scouting for Mercer.
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Recap of Hickory-Sharon rivalry game
Friday night I found myself at Sharon Tiger Stadium for the rivalry matchup between the visiting Hickory Hornets and the homestanding Sharon Tigers. Both squads were coming off humiliating week 1 losses. You could not have asked for better weather for this game, because the weather was perfect.
Sharon won the coin toss and elected to receive, and less than 60 seconds in, it was 7-0 Sharon thanks to a C.J. Parchman 75 yard reception. He would later score another touchdown, this time from 20 yards out to make it 14-0 Sharon after one.
Hickory would get on the board in the second quarter when Michael Filardi scored from 7 yards out. But C.J. Parchman restored the two score lead with a pick 6. But Hickory answered with a touchdown on a fumble recovery by one of their offensive linemen. At the end of the first half, kicker Sam Scarton kicked what might be a new school record 51 yard field goal to cut the halftime deficit to 21-17.
Hayden Gallagher would score the only points of the third quarter when he bootlegged in from 3 yards out to give his Hornets their only lead of the night, 24-21.
But in the fourth, Jordan Wilson scored the winning touchdown when he ran in from 2 yards out. The PAT fell short, and that's how the game ended, with Sharon winning 27-24.
Sharon's Josh Tor was named the Player of the Game with his clinching sack to earn the t-shirt courtesy of O'Neill Coffee and Steve's Teez.
With two losses to start the season, Hornets head coach Bill Brest needs to make some tactical changes for their next game. I still suggest that he put in a different sophomore player in for each play, which is similar to what one Joseph Vincent Paterno did against Miami in 1967. Coach Brest, could you pretty please take this suggestion from one of your former students and a personal friend of yours as a favor for him?
Sharon won the coin toss and elected to receive, and less than 60 seconds in, it was 7-0 Sharon thanks to a C.J. Parchman 75 yard reception. He would later score another touchdown, this time from 20 yards out to make it 14-0 Sharon after one.
Hickory would get on the board in the second quarter when Michael Filardi scored from 7 yards out. But C.J. Parchman restored the two score lead with a pick 6. But Hickory answered with a touchdown on a fumble recovery by one of their offensive linemen. At the end of the first half, kicker Sam Scarton kicked what might be a new school record 51 yard field goal to cut the halftime deficit to 21-17.
Hayden Gallagher would score the only points of the third quarter when he bootlegged in from 3 yards out to give his Hornets their only lead of the night, 24-21.
But in the fourth, Jordan Wilson scored the winning touchdown when he ran in from 2 yards out. The PAT fell short, and that's how the game ended, with Sharon winning 27-24.
Sharon's Josh Tor was named the Player of the Game with his clinching sack to earn the t-shirt courtesy of O'Neill Coffee and Steve's Teez.
With two losses to start the season, Hornets head coach Bill Brest needs to make some tactical changes for their next game. I still suggest that he put in a different sophomore player in for each play, which is similar to what one Joseph Vincent Paterno did against Miami in 1967. Coach Brest, could you pretty please take this suggestion from one of your former students and a personal friend of yours as a favor for him?
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Preview of Hickory-Sharon rivalry game
It's week two of high school football in Mercer County, and this Friday I will be at Tiger Stadium in Sharon for the rivalry matchup between the visiting Hickory Hornets and the homestanding Sharon Tigers.
Both teams are coming off humiliating losses in week one. Sharon is coming off a 42-12 loss at the hands of Wilmington at home to give Wilmington head coach Brandon Phillian his first win; and Hickory is coming off a 17-6 loss to Sharpsville to give Sharpsville coach Paul Piccirilli his 200th win. Both teams will seek to take their frustrations out on each other this Friday night in Sharon.
Jim Wildman, the head coach at Sharon, said after the loss that last year they started with two losses and ended up one win short of a trip to Hershey. Tigers fans should not be pushing the panic button if Sharon loses again on Friday night, because it could be a harbinger of things to come for the remainder of the season.
Hickory head coach Bill Brest should take a hard look at himself in the mirror following the first loss for the Hornets in a home opener since 2002. I suggest he read Joe Paterno's autobiography Paterno: By the Book and learn how the legend of JoePa emerged at Penn State in the late 1960s. What I suggest that he do on Friday night is put in a different sophomore player for each play on both offense and defense. JoePa did the same at Miami in 1967 and Penn State pulled an upset victory over the Hurricanes. After they nearly upset UCLA the following game, that talented class of sophomores would not lose another game for the remainder of their playing careers; thus the emergence of the legend of one Joseph Vincent Paterno. If coach Brest is reading this entry, he should take my suggestion to heart and do what JoePa did back in 1967. It could help restore the pride of Hickory football and lead to state championships, something that the city of Hermitage has not celebrated since 1989 when they defeated Montoursville.
The game will be broadcast on News/Talk 790 WPIC on Friday night. I will be on hand at Tiger Stadium armed with my iPad, game program and rosters so that I can jot down my game notes.
Both teams are coming off humiliating losses in week one. Sharon is coming off a 42-12 loss at the hands of Wilmington at home to give Wilmington head coach Brandon Phillian his first win; and Hickory is coming off a 17-6 loss to Sharpsville to give Sharpsville coach Paul Piccirilli his 200th win. Both teams will seek to take their frustrations out on each other this Friday night in Sharon.
Jim Wildman, the head coach at Sharon, said after the loss that last year they started with two losses and ended up one win short of a trip to Hershey. Tigers fans should not be pushing the panic button if Sharon loses again on Friday night, because it could be a harbinger of things to come for the remainder of the season.
Hickory head coach Bill Brest should take a hard look at himself in the mirror following the first loss for the Hornets in a home opener since 2002. I suggest he read Joe Paterno's autobiography Paterno: By the Book and learn how the legend of JoePa emerged at Penn State in the late 1960s. What I suggest that he do on Friday night is put in a different sophomore player for each play on both offense and defense. JoePa did the same at Miami in 1967 and Penn State pulled an upset victory over the Hurricanes. After they nearly upset UCLA the following game, that talented class of sophomores would not lose another game for the remainder of their playing careers; thus the emergence of the legend of one Joseph Vincent Paterno. If coach Brest is reading this entry, he should take my suggestion to heart and do what JoePa did back in 1967. It could help restore the pride of Hickory football and lead to state championships, something that the city of Hermitage has not celebrated since 1989 when they defeated Montoursville.
The game will be broadcast on News/Talk 790 WPIC on Friday night. I will be on hand at Tiger Stadium armed with my iPad, game program and rosters so that I can jot down my game notes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)