COUNCIL ROCK:Rocks take Quarters; fall in Semis

District 1-AAA Duals (Quarterfinals)
Jan. 30 at Council Rock South

Council Rock North 33, Springfield Delco 22

145 - Brandon Loro dec. Greg Lanctot, 5-3 (0-3)
152 - David Giannaula dec. A.J. Kinter, 4-3 (3-3)
160 - Pat Leahan maj. dec. Bruce Froshour, 15-4 (3-7)
171 - Tom Clark dec. Austin MacDowell, 2-1 2OT (6-7)
189 - Andre Petroski pinned Prudhvi Moparthi, 0:16 (6-13)
215 - Jamie Callender won by forfeit (12-13)
285 - Kaje Sponheimer dec. John Kaschak, 7-4 (12-16)
103 - Adam Slezak dec. Vince Barbieri, 7-4 (15-16)
112 - Dan Dortone dec. Shane Longstreth, 6-0 (15-19)
119 - Allan Slezak maj. dec. Joe Methlie, 12-4 (19-19)
125 - Hayden Schenker pinned Mike Barbieri, 1:53 (25-19)
130 - Zac Haynes maj. dec. Bob Gildea, 11-3 (29-19)
135 - John McCoach dec. Brian Murray, 4-2 SV (29-22)
140 - Sean Doerr maj. dec. Ryan Thomas, 14-2 (33-22)

***

Council Rock South 45, Central Bucks East 20
145 - Marc Helfrich pinned Steve Tilsner, 2:21 (6-0)
152 - Joe Mannino dec. Shane Gilmore, 10-8 (6-3)
160 - Jim Vollrath dec. Andrew Foltyn, 9-3 (9-3)
171 - Ed Shupe maj. dec. Devon Passman, 15-2 (13-3)
189 - Bobby Lavelle pinned Dan Priest, 3:17 (19-3)
215 - Joe Burke won by tech. fall Tom Dingui, 3:15, 16-0 (19-8)
285 - Josh Kupperstein pinned Bob Poleshuk, 1:16 (25-8)
103 - Billy Rappo won by forfeit (31-8)
112 - Wes Moran dec. Doug Silveria, 3-2 (34-8)
119 - Nick Dau maj. dec. Brian Heckman, 9-1 (34-12)
125 - Matt Rappo won by tech. fall over Ian Gill, 2:35, 20-4 (39-12)
130 - Matt Martoccio won by tech. fall over Kyle Beljanski, 4:32, 17-2 (44-12)
135 - Jon Brodzik dec. Tim Riley, 7-1 (44-15)
140 - Jarrett Sanders won by tech. fall over Dalton Wiltrout, 4:44, 19-3 (44-20)

***

District 1-AAA Duals (Semifinals)
Jan. 30 at Council Rock South

Boyertown 30, Council Rock North 25
152 - Tim Feroe pinned David Giannaula, 2:26 (6-0)
160 - Tyler Mauger dec. Bruce Froshour, 6-0 (9-0)
171 - Tom Clark dec. Brock Hallman, 8-3 (9-3)
189 - Jamie Callender maj. dec. Zach Rodgers, 18-6 (9-7)
215 - Zach Heffner maj. dec. Stephen Kaschak, 14-3 (13-7)
285 - John Kaschak pinned Denis Mulligan, 5:21 (13-13)
103 - Adam Slezak dec. Adam Kolb, 5-1 (13-16)
112 - Jeremy Minich dec. Shane Longstreth, 8-3 (16-16)
119 - Matt Malfaro dec. Allan Slezak, 13-7 (19-16)
125 - Zac Haynes dec. Jon Neiman, 7-1 (19-19)
130 - Trevor MacMinn dec. Brian Murray, 5-3 (22-19)
135 - Alex Pellicciotti won by tech. fall over Sean Doerr, 4:00, 17-1 (27-19)
140 - Adam Benfield dec. Neil Patel, 7-4 (30-19)
145 - Greg Lanctot won by forfeit (30-25)

***

Quakertown 38, Council Rock South 20

152 - Jim Vollrath maj. dec. Nick Lubenetski, 17-6 (0-4)
160 - Tyler Wolfe dec. Shane Gilmore, 4-1 (3-4)
171 - Ed Shupe maj. dec. Seth Gray, 18-5 (3-8)
189 - Robert Basile dec. Bobby Lavelle, 5-4 (6-8)
215 - Greg Walker pinned Marc Pelberg, 1:12 (12-8)
285 - Matt Jorgensen pinned Joshua Kupperstein, 1:12 (18-8)
103 - Scott Wolfinger won by tech. fall over Billy Rappo, 4:25, 22-5 (23-8)
112 - Tyler Edwards won by tech. fall over Ian Krouse, 3:54, 17-0 (28-8)
119 - Nick Ronzano dec. Wes Moran, 6-3 (31-8)
125 - Billy Rappo dec. Colin Bynum, 5-4 (31-11)
130 - Connor Moore pinned John Collins, 5:28 (31-17)
135 - Matt Rust dec. Matt Martoccio, 12-7 3OT (34-17)
140 - Eric Koch maj. dec. Tim Riley, 11-2 (38-17)
145 - Marc Helfrich dec. Briar Malischewski, 1-0 (38-20)

(Council Rock wrestlers in bold)

Mustangs Back in Action on the Hardwood

Brian Hauch of the Mustangs JV Gray team looks
for an open man in the 26-21 win over St. Maria Goretti.

McCann Free Throw
Seals it for JV White ‘Stangs

On Saturday afternoon, Jan. 17, the St. Martin of Tours JV White squad tangled with SASH (Saint Agnes/Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) White in Hilltown.

The Mustangs took a 16-15 lead into halftime with the final points of the half being a “banker” from Chris Yingling off a Patrick McCann pass.

The start of the fourth quarter saw St. Martin’s extend their lead to eight points. SASH closed the gap to within three points with 12 seconds remaining in the fourth.

After a foul on the inbounds pass, McCann swished his first foul shot to end the SASH comeback and seal a 28-24 victory.

Blake Hildebrandt had 10 points, Russell Abernathy six, and McCann and Matt Kolen each had four in the victory.
***
Gray Falls in SASH Squeaker

St. Martin of Tours JV Gray Team played another tight game on Saturday, Jan. 17, but they could not come away with a victory against a tough SASH opponent.

The Mustangs ran into late foul trouble and SASH took advantage of extra free throws to seal the victory, 23-21.

Dylan Waterman led the Gray scoring with 11 points. Brandon Griffing had four points for the Mustangs, Tim Heffernan had three, Tyler Nuel had two and Brian Hauch added one.
***
St Martin’s Mustang Varsity Defeats SMG 54-43

St. Martin’s burst out to a quick ten point lead against Saint Maria Goretti the weekend of Jan. 18-19 on strong play from the starting back court of Jake Vesling (10 points total), Dalton Waterman (nine points total) and Jack Dougherty (18 points total) along with strong defense and rebounding by Danny Cherkowsky, Bryce MacKinnon and Brian Kerr.

By halftime, however, SMG pulled into a one-point advantage at 25-24.

The teams battled back and forth in the second half. Finally, in the final minutes of the fourth quarter St Martin’s, led by a key basket by Daniel Rubino and the inside play of Zach Bandurick, started to pull away.

Bandurick had several key breakaway baskets during a fourth quarter run that finally gave St Martin’s the breathing room they needed to secure the 54-43 victory.
***
Third Quarter Surge Propels Maroon Past St. Stan’s

The JV Maroon Squad used a 12-point third quarter burst to break up a tight game and top St. Stan’s 28-17 Friday night, Jan. 16 at their home court in West Amwell, NJ.

Center Spencer Tinkel poured in 12 points on the night, including four in the decisive third quarter when the Mustangs broke open a tie game to take a 19-13 lead.

Pat Gimpel and Ryan O’Leary each had four points in the decisive stanza. Gimpel finished with eight points on the night.

Anthony Vlahovic led the Maroon off the glass with six rebounds, Tinkel added five, while Gimpel and Dan Martin contributed four boards apiece. Jake Gianatassio had three rebounds in addition to his two points.
***
St. Martin JV Girls Fall to St. Jude

The St. Martin JV Girls fell to the St. Jude Jaguars 15-10 on Friday night, Jan. 16.

The Lady Mustangs hung on to a slim one-point lead at halftime (4-3), thanks to a field goal each by Maria Lelie and Hannah Miller.

In the second half, Bridget Newman added four points and Darby McCann had two, but it was not enough to overcome a tough St. Jude team.

Sons of Coaches

Mike Pettine Jr.

Pettine Jr. to lead Jets D

By Steve Sherman; Sports Editor

Former Bucks County varsity football coach Mike Pettine Jr. was recently hired to lead the New York Jets defense.
A former CB West High School football coach from 1988-92, Pettine was hired by recently named Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who as the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, listed Pettine as his right-hand man.
Pettine had been the outside linebackers coach for the Ravens since 2005. Ryan is the son of former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan. That both are sons of famous coaches - albeit at different levels - was enough to bond the two together, says Pettine.
“Both of us being coaches’ kids, I think we both developed that gym rat mentality for football,” says Mike. “We shared a lot of philosophies when it came to football — everything from how to teach a certain technique to getting off blocks, to what to call in certain situations, when to be aggressive, when not to be aggressive.”
Hired by Baltimore as an assistant in video operations in 2002, Pettine was promoted to defensive assistant, helping Ryan coach the Ravens D-line in 2004.
Pettine has been Baltimore’s linebackers coach for the last four seasons. In 2006, four Ravens linebackers made it to the Pro Bowl including Ray Lewis, Bart Scott, Adalius Thomas, and Terrell Suggs.
Baltimore was ranked among the top five teams in points allowed last season. The Ravens were tops in sacks.
Pettine was all-state as a quarterback and defensive back at CB West from where he graduated in 1984. From 1988 to ’92, he coached the Bucks, winning a state trophy in 1991.
While Ryan made a name for himself coaching Reggie White and company as what was then perhaps the most feared defense in the NFL, Mike Pettine Sr. led CB West at the high school level.
Pettine Sr. took the Bucks to new heights from there, leading West to state title wins in 1997, ‘98 and ‘99. In 1999, with a 30-game win streak on the line, he faced his son - who’d taken over at North Penn - in a district playoff game.
The battle is the topic of the movie “The Last Game.”
Pettine Sr. produced a 326-42-4 record in 33 seasons as head coach at CB West.
In addition to his tenure at North Penn (97-2001), Mike Pettine Jr. also worked various coaching positions at the University of Pittsburgh (1993-94) and William Tennent (1995-96). In college, at the University of Virginia, Mike was a 2-year letterman at free safety (1986-87) under head coach George Welsh.

Girls Hoops Roundup for Jan. 29

Rock South rebounds

Council Rock South rebounded from a Jan. 27 loss to Pennsbury, posting a 30-point win over the Falcons last night at South. Ann Silverthorn was high scorer for the Golden Hawks with 10 points. Chelsea Allen, Steph Gillio and Alex Wheatley chipped in with 9 points apiece. South took a 31-18 edge into the half on its way to a 59-29 triumph Jan. 29 at South. With the win, the Hawks pushed their season mark to 12-7 overall on the season. Lacey Balascsak was high scorer for Pennsbury with 11 points.

LINESCORES
...................1....2....3....4.....Final
CR South.......13...18....11...17.......59
Pennsbury......8...10.....4.....7.......29


CR SOUTH
Ann Silverthorn, 10
Chelsea Allen, 9
Steph Gillio, 9
Alex Wheatley, 9
Jackie Weber, 8
Emily Nowicke, 7
Lea Britton, 3
Lindsay Kirlin, 2
Alexa Crosier, 2

PENNSBURY
Lacey Balascsak, 11
Lauren Pisauro, 7
Kersten Formento, 3
Kelly Rebert, 2
Lauren Gerity, 2
Emily Atunrase, 2
Molly Phillips, 2

***************************************************

Bulldogs Bounce Back

Morrisville rebounded from a Jan. 27 loss to Lower Moreland with a 13-point triumph over MaST Charter last night at home. Cassandra Gainey led the Lady Bulldogs' scoring effort with 11 points. Tanya Argueta and Jah'Mirra Chambers added 8 points apiece as Morrisville outpaced the Panthers 37-24 Jan. 29 at home. With the win, the Bulldogs pushed their record to 7-11 overall on the season.

LINESCORES
.......................1....2....3....4.....Final
Morrisville..........10....8......8....11.......37
MaST Charter......4.....4......5....11.......24

MORRISVILLE
Cassandra Gainey, 11
Tanya Argueta, 8
Jah'Mirra Chambers, 8
Kievanna Lacey, 5
Shey Porras, 3
Staci Ramagli, 2

MaST CHARTER
Meena Byers, 11
Kaitlyn Rapko, 9
Megan McCarthy, 2
Saralyn Andrick, 2

- Steve Sherman, sports editor

Boys Hoops Roundup for Jan. 29

'Birds fall - again

Holy Ghost Prep (HGP) fell to 8-9 overall on the season, dropping a 51-47 contest to Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) Independence rival Devon Prep Jan. 29 at Chapman Gym.
Up 25-22 at the half, the Ghost was outscored 18-11 in the final frame.

The good news is that the Firebirds are still 6-2 in the BAL Independence Division, though they've dropped two of their last three division games, including a Jan. 23 loss to Christopher Dock.

In last night's game, Phil Pastor led the HGP scoring effort with 14 points. Mike Byrne and Duffy Barrett added 7 points, apiece. John Glenn and Mike Destefano chipped in with 6 points, each. Nate Lorence contributed with 3 points. Owen Kirby and Tyler Juchno scored 2 points, each.

The Pioneers handed the Ghost its first league loss of the season Jan. 23 by shooting 25-for-30 from the free-throw line and outscoring the 'birds by 13 points in the final quarter to win it, 50-40.

Owen Longacre led the way for Dock with 22 points, including 12-for-15 from the line, while Brett Moyer had 13 and was 9-for-11 from the line.

Mike Byrne was the high scorer for Holy Ghost with 11.

***************************************************

Marcinkowski rocks South

Pennsbury used a career high 14 points from senior forward Tom Marcinkowski and a season high 17 points from senior point guard Eddie DiRugeris in recording a 57-35 triumph over Council Rock South.

Marcinkowski also did a solid job on the backboard by pulling in six rebounds and knocked down a three pointer.

For the Falcons, it was their 56th consecutive SOL National Conference win.

Senior Dalton Pepper registered his tenth double-double of the season with a total of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

DiRugeris and Dante Devine each netted a pair of triples and both wrecked their usual havoc on the opposing team’s ball handlers.

Junior Jesse Krasna handed out five assists and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Pennsbury jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, extending its lead at the end of each quarter of play.

A seven point lead (14-5) at the end of one period extended to a 12-point edge (29-17) at the half.

By the end of the third frame, the Falcons held a 14-point lead (44-30) before capping off the contest with a 22-point margin of victory.

With the Jan. 29 win over the Hawks, Pennsbury pushed its record to 15-2, overall (the team dropped a pair of games over the holidays in South Carolina’s Beach Ball Classic), 12-0 in the SOL National Conference.

The Falcons also defeated CR South just eight days earlier with a 70-55 triumph in enemy territory.


-Steve Sherman, sports editor

PENNSBURY PROFILE:Military school was a picnic for wrestler

Pennsbury senior Matt Johnson is back on the mat for the Falcons.

Pennsbury grappler says Valley Forge MA made him a bigger man

By Steve Sherman; Sports Editor

You’d think attending a military school would convert an adolescent into a young man, strong in mind, body and spirit.

And while he didn’t comment on the first and last parts of that trio, Pennsbury senior Matt Johnson is more than eager to tell you that he didn’t find that military school fit the mold to which most of us believe--at least not when it came to dietary issues.

Boarding last year as a junior at Valley Forge Military Academy, Johnson says he was fed a lot of fatty foods that caused him to bulk up in weight.

“The quality of the food was unhealthy and fattening, which is the reason why I gained all the weight I gained,” said the Pennsbury senior.

While Johnson enjoyed the same type of success (38-5 last year) he enjoyed his sophomore season when he went 40-5 wrestling at 189 pounds for the Falcons, the 12th-grader says he just didn’t feel right.

“I was chubby,” Johnson said frankly. “I didn’t like it.”

“It wasn’t so much that my mat performance was bad, I was just so heavy that it would keep me out of shape.”

“I felt disgusting most of the time.”

So Matt and his parents made the decision to come back to Pennsbury. The hard part for Johnson was getting back to his fighting weight. Eating a high-protein, low carb diet that consisted of a lot of salads, Johnson has returned to his old form and is back wrestling at 171 pounds.

Earlier in the season against Abington, he gave the Falcons more than a fighter’s chance at beating the Ghosts with a second-period pin at 171 that put Pennsbury on top, 32-23, with two bouts to go.

While the Falcon faithful is glad to see Matt once again wearing the orange and black, Johnson is also among the group that’s glad he’s back.

“It feels great; I think I took a lot of things for granted,” said Matt only hours before taking the mat against Abington.

“Now that I’m back, I get to train a lot harder and eat a lot better foods; that makes me happy.”

Johnson says his strict diet and weight training began in April and lasted until August when he finally returned to his old form. Matt says it wasn’t easy.

“I had to stick to salads after awhile; most of their food was mostly fried and cooked in fatty oils and stuff."

Even so, during his stay at Valley Forge, Johnson medaled at the Pennsylvania Independent School Wrestling Tournament (PAISWT) earning a trip to the National Prep Tournament at Lehigh University. At prep nationals, Johnson came within a whisker of earning a trophy. Only a stalling call kept him from medaling in the tournament, he said.

Johnson arrived back on Hood Boulevard just in time to capture his 100th win in varsity wrestling. After his second period pin against Abington, Johnson has 22 wins and 120 over his four-year varsity career.

Still, the Pennsbury senior is not satisfied and says he won’t be until he at least doubles his win total this year.

“Nobody knew it was my 100th [win]; I just kept it to myself,” said Johnson. “My goal is to reach 135-140 wins.

“When I reach that goal, I’ll be really happy.”

More recently, Johnson went 5-0 at McDonough Duals held during the Christmas holidays in Maryland.

At McDonough, Johnson defeated a Kellum wrestler using a 5-0 decision and he also pinned a Loyola wrestler who was ranked fifth in the state.

“I was excited about wrestling him and I pinned him pretty quick.”

As of Jan. 27, Matt remained unbeaten on the season at 27-0.

In addition to Johnson, Pennsbury’s seniors include Pat Hyland (119), Matt Funk (125), Brian Kahil (130/135) and Mark Nicholson (145). The rest of the lineup is riddled with new grapplers.

Still, Johnson believes this team can go far.

“Our lineup is developing; we have a lot of new guys who are just learning how to score,” said Matt. “They’re not experienced but for not being experienced, we have a lot of talent and potential.”

“If our guys keep working hard, we’ll keep on winning."

Johnson is looking forward to leading the way. He is drawing Division I interest and hopes to end up at possibly Rider or the University of Pittsburgh. In the meantime, he’s priming for a big season after spending a year in the prep ranks.

“I trained really hard this year and I’m really focused so I think I’m going to get it done,” he said. “If we keep training hard, we’ll win our league and make it into districts and maybe states.”