CR SOUTH:Rappos punch tickets to NCAAs

Penn senior Rick Rappo's wrestling career at Penn
came to an end recently at the NCAA championships.

There was a pair of Council Rock wrestlers in St. Louis March 19-20 for the NCAA Division I championships. Both were named Rappo.

Rick Rappo, a University of Pennsylvania senior, competed at 141 pounds. Mike Rappo, a University of North Carolina sophomore, was in the 133-pound bracket.

Both brothers won state wrestling titles during their time at Council Rock South. Rick was the first ever state champion at the school - in any sport - when he won the PIAA Class AAA title at 103 pounds in 2004.

The second time Rick has qualified for the NCAA Championships, Rick drew fifth-seeded Marcus Hoehn of Missouri.

Rick entered the tournament with an 18-7 record and a third-place finish at the EIWA Championships. Anyone questioning his standing in the field could look at Rick's win via fall over the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Michigan’s Kellen Russell.

Hoehn entered the match with a 29-8 record and a Big 12 championship belt to his credit. The two grapplers had three common opponents this season. Rick was unbeaten against those wrestlers while Hoehn was 3-1.

But Hoehn got past Rick in the opening round and Rappo's wrestling career at Penn unfortunately came to an end in his next match with a 7-0 loss to Boise State’s Cory Fish.

Rappo had a tough time with Fish, giving up a takedown in the first period and then being turned in the second. Fish added a reversal in the final frame for the final score.

Mike, meanwhile, won two state title belts for the Golden Hawks, first capturing the 119-pound state championship in 2005 and then taking the 130-pound crown in '06.

Making his NCAA debut March 19, Mike dropped a 5-4 decision to Filip Novachkov, who posted a 22-7 record during the season for Cal Poly. Later in the day, Mike lost in a 9-3 decision to Missouri sophomore Todd Schavrien.

During the regular season at UNC, Mike went 24-8, including nine major decisions, two technical falls and one pin. He also finished second at the ACC Championships, fourth at the Reno Tournament of Champions and fifth at the Southern Scuffle.

Carolina sent seven wrestlers to nationals for the first time since 2003. It marked the most NCAA qualifiers for the Tar Heels under sixth-year head coach C.D. Mock, a former Council Rock wrestling coach originally from Newtown.

A 1978 graduate of CRHS, Mock won a state title himself during his senior campaign for the Indians.
***

Compiled by Sports Editor Steve Sherman.

NESHAMINY:Wrublesky honored by NFHCA

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) announced its 2008 National Academic Squad March 3 and nine St. Joseph's University (SJU) players found their names on the list including Langhorne's own Jen Wrublesky.

A Neshaminy High School alum and an SJU sophomore forward, Wrublesky was among the conference leaders in shots, scoring three goals and adding four assists in a season that saw the Hawks reach the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals for a fifth straight year.

Last year as a freshman at St. Joseph's, Wrublesky was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and the team's Offensive Player of the Year after leading St. Joseph's with 10 goals and 24 points while tying for the lead with four game-winning goals.

For her efforts, Wrublesky also earned All Mid-Atlantic Region First Team, Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team and All-Rookie Team honors as a freshman.

SJU junior midfielder Kellie Walter paced the Hawks this season with career highs in goals (10), assists (7) and points (27).
***


Compiled by Sports Editor Steve Sherman

PENNSBURY:Falcons drop first LAX game

The West Chester East Vikings, coming off a strong win over Lower Merion, tangled with the visiting Pennsbury Falcons in a ChesMont / Suburban One contest March 26 on a day marked by a constant and dreary rain.
The Falcons lit the scoreboard first, with a score by midfielder Rick Jutkiewcz, as he received a pass from attackman Calvin Hopkins, split a double, and scored. West Chester answered two minutes later as Chris McCormick fed Kevin Holleran for the equalizer.
After a series of takeaways by both teams, the Vikings forged their first lead of the day when Zach Lieb and Matt Biegel played 'keep away' behind the net until Lieb found himself alone with the Pennsbury goalie and buried the shot from the crease line.
West Chester also tallied the last goal of the half on a forced turnover by Zach Lieb, who brought the ball up on a fast break the other way and fed Matt Biegel for the score, returning the assist favor from the previous goal.
The half was marked by physical play with Pennsbury unable to convert on four extra man opportunities due to the relentless defensive pressure and ball control offense of the Vikings.
The second half started with the teams trading goals (Tim Considine for Pennsbury and Ben Tuscai for West Chester East). The Falcons then went on a tear with four unanswered goals to take the lead.
The Pennsbury “D” began answering hit for hit and taking the ball away from the Vikings. Unlike the first half, the Falcon offense began to convert both the even strength and man-up opportunities.
Peter Sweetland fed Kenneth Warren on a man-up play to make the score 4-3 Vikings, and then Ricky Jutkeiwicz toughed out a ground ball from a scrum up top and bulled his way to the equalizing score.
Attackman Kenneth Warren then had two consecutive scores for the Falcons on a man-up opportunity (assisted by Tim Considine) and on an even strength goal (assisted by freshman Evan Caterson), making the score 6–4 Pennsbury at the end of the third quarter.
The Vikings answered the Falcon's third quarter surge with one of their own in the final period. WC East goalie Justin Laxton made a remarkable save on an inside shot by Pennsbury. Roused by their goalie's efforts, East went on a 4-0 run in the last 10 minutes of the game.
Utilizing strong defensive pressure up top, the Viking defense caused turnovers that led to consecutive fast-break goals by Ben Tuscai to knot the score at 6-all. With just under four minutes remaining, the WC East squad took advantage of a Falcon penalty to convert an extra-man opportunity into a lead with Andrew Protenic netting the goal. Two minutes later Chris McCormick finished the scoring with another extra man goal.
The Vikings held off a concerted effort by Pennsbury to climb back into the contest in the last two minutes clearing the ball deep into Falcon territory as time expired to seal the victory for West Chester East.
The loss drops Pennsbury to 2-1 overall on the season. The Vikings meanwhile, pushed their record to 2-0.
***

Box Score
1 2 3 4--FinalPennsbury 1 0 5 0--6WC East 2 1 1 4--8Goals:
Pennsbury - 6; Kenneth Warren 3; Ricky Jutkiewicz 2; TimConsidine 1
West Chester East - 8; Ben Tuscai 3; Matt Biegel 1; Zach Lieb 1; Chris McCormick 1; Andrew Protenic 1; Kevin Holleran 1.
Assists:
Pennsbury - 5; Calvin Hopkins 2; Evan Caterson 1; Tim Considine 1; Peter Sweetland 1
West Chester East - 7; Matt Biegel 2; Ben Tuscai 2; Zach Lieb 1; Chris McCormick 1; Killian
White 1
Shots:
Pennsbury 27, West Chester East 29
Saves:
David Cutler (Pennsbury) 10, Justin Laxton West Chester East ) 8
Record:
Pennsbury (2-1 overall; 1-0 in Suburban One National Conference)
West Chester East (2-0 overall; 0-0 in the ChesMont League).

Today on WBCB

Morrisville baseball on the radio

While roundball fans bemoan the end of the high school hoops season, some turning their attention to the NCAA and March Madness, others are gladly welcoming the warm weather and the start of the spring varsity season.
WBCB 1490AM begins its spring broadcast coverage this afternnon, giving you the play-by-play when Morrisville hosts Bicentennial Athletic League rival Girard College High School. The first pitch is to be delivered at 3:30 p.m.
To listen live here, click here
For a list of local games being broadcast by 'BCB and sister station 1350AM WHWH, click here

WBCB:Area athletes rewarded by Roma

Roma Bank and WBCB Radio (1490 AM and 1350 AM) know world champions are born in local communities. That’s why they’ve teamed up to create the Roma Bank Game Saver Award, presented to the one player at each game they broadcast who makes a game-saving play! The station recently displayed the Philadelphia Phillies World Championship Trophy as it announced its commitment to broadcast an array of upcoming high school baseball games. On hand for a photo with the trophy were 'BCB station owner Pat Deon, general manager and voice of the Philadelphia Eagles Merrill Reese, Nancy Faherty of Roma Bank and long-time Philadelphia sports broadcaster Bill Campbell.

PENNSBURY:Falcons claw Tigers

In the first Suburban One National conference game for both teams this season, Pennsbury scored early and often, cruising to a 16-1 victory March 25 at home over the Truman Tigers.

The Falcons were paced by midfielder Shawn Caven (4 goals, 0 assists) and attackman Peter Sweetland (3 goals, 3 assists) as Pennsbury showed quick ball movement and off-ball motion.

Other contributors for Pennsbury included attackman Kenneth Warren (1 goal, 3 assists), midfielder Ricky Jutkeiwicz (1 goal, 2 assists), attackman Calvin Hopkins (2 goals, 2 assists), and midfielder Tim Considine (1 goal, 0 assists).

Freshman middie Luke Matthews also got his first varsity goal and contributed with solid defensive play.

With the outcome well in hand at the half (the score was 13-0), the game went to a running clock and the Falcons reached into their bench to finish out. Attackman Dan Caggia put up a goal and an assist, with freshman middie Lewis Sears assisting on Caggia's goal.

Justin Merola netted his first goal of the season at attack, and middie Pat “Moose” Bonnot scored his first points of the season on an unassisted goal where he caused a turnover at the mid-line stripe and beat the defense to the crease.

Pennsbury goalie David Cutler was solid in the net with 4 saves but was also involved in a controversial play that resulted in Truman's only score of the day. Truman attackman Carra stripped the ball away from Cutler scooped it up in the crease and put it into the empty net, denying the Falcon netminder the shutout.

The Pennsbury defense was solid and the offense held the ball for long periods of time, including the last two minutes of the game to run out the clock and seal the victory.

The victory over the Tigers pushed the Falcons to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Suburban One National Conference. Truman is still winless at 0-2.
***

LINESCORES
1 2 3 4 - F
Truman 0 0 0 1 - 1
Pennsbury 6 6 1 3 - 16
(March 25 at PHS)

GOALS:
Pennsbury - 16; Shawn Caven 4, Pete Sweetland 3, Calvin Hopkins 2, Kenneth Warren 1, Rick Jutkiewicz 1, Tim Considine 1, Luke Matthews 1, Dan Caggia 1, Pat Bonnot 1, Justin Merola 1
Truman - 1; Carra - 1
ASSISTS:
Pennsbury - 12; Kenneth Warren 3, Peter Sweetland 3, Calvin Hopkins 2, Rick Jutkiewicz 2, Dan Caggia 1, Lewis Sears 1
Truman - 0
SHOTS:
Pennsbury 32, Truman 5
SAVES:
David Cutler (Pennsbury) 3, Huber (Truman) 5
RECORD:
Pennsbury (2-0), Truman (0-2)

Neshaminy: 'Skins open with a win

By Rick Fortenbaugh
Staff Writer

LANGHORNE — This was one of those season openers that went pretty much as expected.
The preseason favorite in the Suburban One National League, the Neshaminy High School softball team got its season off to a positive start yesterday by beating Bristol, 3-1.
As for Bristol, even though it lost it was a positive in the sense the Class A squad showed it can very much play with one of the top teams in the area.
In fact, Neshaminy is arguably as good a team as Bristol will see during the regular season until it runs into Notre Dame in late May.
“We lost to the best,” said a philosophical Bristol coach Mike Lalli, whose team will be right back in the heater when it hosts Christopher Dock in a key Bicentennial Athletic League game Friday.
“We’ll be fine.”
After showing a lot of promise as a freshman, Neshaminy righty Sarah McGowan came out firing yesterday by striking out four batters in the first inning and 11 overall before departing for reliever Brianna Guidos in the seventh. Many of the strikeouts were off an effective change.
McGowan yielded just one hit and would have had a shutout working if Bristol hadn’t scored in the sixth on a single by Kierstin Cain and two Redskin errors.
“Sarah has improved a lot,” said Neshaminy coach Kathleen Mullins. “She had knee surgery during the off season to remove a tumor. She says it doesn’t hurt and it looks like she can push off a lot better.”
Another good-looking sophomore pitcher, Cain (six K’s) took the loss for the Warriors, but also wasn’t very far away from throwing shutout ball.
Neshaminy’s initial run came in second when a lead off single by Kelsey Ryan and a sac allowed a run to score on the first of Bristol’s two errors.
Bristol’s second error was also a killer as Neshaminy took advantage of it to score twice in the bottom of the third.
Courtney Clee’s hard lead-off single to center started that uprising and was followed by a Bristol error with two outs. This kept the inning alive and Ryan delivered with a two-run single to center.
A junior third baseman. Ryan was 3-for-3 on the day and had half of Neshaminy’s hit total. Clee had two hits as well batting out of the second spot in the order.
“We’re missing our catcher Nicole Adamson, who is a big part of our team,” said Lalli. “We’re not sure what going on there. She tore something and is supposed to find out what’s going on today (yesterday). Our leadoff hitter (Sam Dougherty) also just started practicing a few days ago.
“We’ve been banged up the pre-season, but other than the two errors I thought we played pretty well today.’’
Against a lot of teams those miscues wouldn’t have mattered. Against a team like Neshaminy, Bristol would have needed to play a near perfect game.
****
LINESCORES
123 456 7 – R H E
Bristol (0-1) 000 001 0 — 1 2 2
Neshaminy (1-0) 012 000 x — 3 6 3
WP-McGowan (1-0). LP-Cain (0-1). RBIs: N-Ryan 2.

***
Pennsbury edges Interboro

FAIRLESS HILLS — It was a close call, but the Pennsbury High School softball team was able to get its season off to a winning start by downing Interboro yesterday, 2-1.
Kait Schilling was the winning pitcher as she scattered eight hits and struck out five.
All the Pennsbury scoring came in the bottom of the fifth. After a single by Deanna Devine, an error and walk to Lauren Rossi, Kirby Groves came up clutch with a two-run single.
Rebecca Erb also doubled for Pennsbury.
LINESCORES
123 456 7 – R H E
Interboro (1-1) 100 000 0 — 1 8 3
Pennsbury (1-0) 000 020 x — 2 4 0
WP-Schilling (1-0). LP-Schwartz. 2B-Schwartz (I), Erb (P). RBIs: I-Sharpless. P-Groves 2

HOPEWELL VALLEY:HoVal wraps it up on the ice

Bulldogs went to Devils Cup finale, counties, states

Hopewell Valley Central recently wrapped up another fabulous season going 17-8-1 overall and 11-2-1 in the in the CVC Colonial Division.

In the midseason Devils Cup Tournament, the Bulldogs made it all the way to the championship but unfortunately fell to Notre Dame 7-3 in the finale.

The Irish also captured the top prize in the Mercer County Tournament where Hopewell dropped a second round matchup to Hun falling, 4-2.

Eventually, the Bulldogs made it to states, beating Montville in the first round, 5-0, before falling to Mendham in the Round of 16 by a score of 3-1.

- Sports Editor Steve Sherman

Lab Fitness 5K coming to Warrington

The Lab Fitness + Spa 5K, the third race in the Panera Bread Bucks 5K Series, will be held on Saturday April 18 at 9:30am. The pavement takes all kinds of runners), so organizers cheer on all ages and abilities at the race.

In addition to the 5K race, there will be a 5K Pump and Run, a 1-mile Fun Run, and a 2-mile Fitness Walk. Both the Fun Run and the Fitness Walk will be held at 9 am.
Registration for all events will begin at 7:45 a.m. at the Health and Wellness Center, 847 Easton Rd., in Warrington.

The 5k series has been a key part of raising much-needed dollars for local non-profit organizations. This year The Lab 5K’s proceeds will benefit The Future of Emergency Care, a campaign for the Emergency Department at Doylestown hospital.

Proceeds from the Bucks 5K Series will assist in the much needed expansion and renovation of the Emergency Department that has become apparent with increased usage over the years.

On Saturday, wake up this quiet, residential neighborhood as you pant your way through the twists and turns. Don’t worry, there is plenty of flat terrain as well as few rolling hills for the adventure seekers.

Then, celebrate your sweat and strain with the post-run festivities. Dance, get a massage, win prizes and find out if you’ll be walking the red carpet at the awards ceremony. For those of you without a sitter, The Little Lab is open during the race.

For more information on The Lab Fitness + Spa 5K, visit the official website at www.bucks5kseries.com or contact Race Director Jamie Tellner at 215-918-5911 or at jtellner@thelabfitnessandspa.com.

PENNSBURY:Falcons show Colonials the door

The Pennsbury boys lacrosse team kicked off their 2009 campaign March 20 with a 13-8 home victory over the visiting Plymouth-Whitemarsh Colonials.

With the score a thin 6-5 margin for the Falcons early in the third period, Pennsbury went on a 7-3 roll spanning the third and fourth quarters to pull away with the win.

The game saw freshman attacker Calvin Hopkins not only score his first varsity goal, but put up a hat trick. The Pennsbury team used quick ball movement and unselfish passing to create scoring opportunities and control offensive possession time.

Attackman Kenneth Warren had five assists and one goal, and middie Shawn Caven had four assists and two goals to lead the Falcons in scoring.

The Falcon offense also featured a second middie line consisting of three freshmen, Ryan McDonald, Evan Caterson and Luke Matthews, who had helped lead their Lower Bucks Blue Wave A-1 team to the 2008 SEPYLA championship last year. Evan also scored his first varsity goal and also contributed at faceoff.

In a battle of the Shawn (Shawn Caven--PHS, and Shawn Kaplan--P-W), at the faceoff, Pennsbury won 18 of 23 of the contests 'at the X' against the Ohio State bound Kaplan.

With the score 6-3 Pennsbury at the half, Plymouth-Whitemarsh came out strong in the second half with two quick goals, the first on a man-up opportunity and the second starting with a win from the faceoff leading to a quick shot and score.

Digging down deep, Falcon goalie David Cutler then made consecutive saves on the Colonials’ next two shots to cut short the P-W team's momentum and start the next Falcon scoring surge. Shawn Caven fed attacker Peter Sweetland (4 goals, 1 assist) on an athletic leap-catch-and-score, and then Ricky Jutkiewicz (2 goals) regained the initiative with a rip from up top.

The Pennsbury defense was lead by super sophomore Dan Marr, who challenged every Colonial ball carrier, resulting in a number of strips and key turnovers.

Late in the game, senior Ryan Brim took a loose ball into the offensive end and passed off. After a quick shot and save, Ryan muscled into a scrum, came up with the ground ball, and ripped a bounce shot into the bottom right corner for a defensive score.

The Falcon defense played strongly throughout the game, with four of the eight Plymouth-Whitemarsh goals coming on man-up opportunities.

This is the second consecutive year that the Suburban One American Plymouth-Whitemarsh and the Suburban One National Pennsbury lax teams have kicked off the season together, with the Falcons winning the 2008 season opener at P-W in a close fought overtime victory.

Pennsbury holds a 3-0 lead over the Colonials in their all-time series.

***

Box Score
Pennsbury 13, Plymouth-Whitemarsh 8
1 2 3 4 - Final
Plymouth-Whitemarsh 1 2 3 2 - 8
Pennsbury 3 3 4 3 - 13
(March 20 at PHS)
GOALS:
Pennsbury - 13; Pete Sweetland 3, Calvin Hopkins 3, Shawn Caven 2, Rick Jutkiewicz 2, Kenneth Warren 1, Ryan Brim 1, Evan Caterson 1
Plymouth-Whitemarsh - 8; Sean McLernan 2, Pat Nolan 2, Joe Hughes 1, Matt Collier 1, Chris McKinney 1, Colin Joka 1
ASSISTS:
Pennsbury - 11; Kenneth Warren 5, Shawn Caven 4, Peter Sweetland 1, Tim Considine 1
Plymouth-Whitemarsh - 6; Sean McLernan 1, Pat Nolan 1, Joe Hughes 1, Matt Collier 1, Zack Schulman 1, Colin Joka 1
SHOTS:
Pennsbury 27, Plymouth-Whitemarsh 14
SAVES:
David Cutler (Pennsbury) 4, Peter Orler (Plymouth-Whitemarsh) 1
RECORD:
Pennsbury (1-0)
Plymouth-Whitemarsh (0-1)

PENNSBURY:Allen, Owls getting set for Sun Devils

Temple sophomore hits another double-double

Temple sophomore Lavoy Allen recorded his 13th double-double of the season and the second in as many games, scoring 10 points and pulling down 14 rebounds as the Owls captured their second consecutive Atlantic 10 Championship with a 69-64 victory over Duquesne on Saturday, March 14 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Temple senior Dionte Christmas led the scoring effort for the Owls, pouring in 29 points including seven three-pointers and junior Ryan Brooks and senior Sergio Olmos each added 14 points.
The championship is Temple's eighth Atlantic 10 title, the most of any team in the conference. The Owls also became the first team to repeat as champions since the 2001 team successfully defended its crown.
With the win, Temple secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. The 11th-seeded Owls (22-11) will face No. 6 seed Arizona State (24-9) on Friday afternoon in Miami in a South Region first-round matchup.
The winner faces either Syracuse or Stephen F. Austin on Sunday, March 21.
Last Friday, March 13 in Temple's 55-53 huge upset win over Xavier, Allen recorded his 12th double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and pulling down a team-high 11 rebounds. The Musketeers were the top seed in the tourney. The Owls were seeded fourth.
In Temple's tournament opening 79-65 victory over St. Joe's, Allen added 13 rebounds and nine points--five of which came at a critical point in the game when the Hawks had cut the lead to nine points.
And that was despite suffering a mild right ankle sprain two days before the A-10 tournament tipoff.
"He's showing a lot of toughness right now because I think some guys might not have played today," said head coach Fran Dunphy.
TCNJ finished the trip with a 4-6 record, finishing strong with three wins in their final four games.
The 69-64 victory over the Dukes on Saturday night was ironic because Temple defeated St. Joseph’s by the same score in last year’s A-10 title tilt before losing to Michigan State, 72-61, in the first round of NCAAs.
Arizona State (24-9), meanwhile, lost in the Pac-10 finals to USC, 66-63, and is making its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2003. Conference player of the year James Harden, named a first-team All-American by Sporting News, CBSSports.com and FOXSports.com, leads the Sun Devils. He is averaging 20.8 ppg., 5.5 rpg. and 4.2 apg. for third-year head coach Herb Sendek.
Jeff Pendergraph is averaging 14.5 ppg. and shooting 66.5% from the field, while Rihards Kuksiks added 10.0 ppg.
ASU leads the all-time series with the Owls, 4-1. The teams last met on November 30, 2005 at the Liacouras Center with the Sun Devils winning, 65-62.
The Owls tipoff their second straight and 27th overall NCAA Tournament appearance at 2:45 p.m. Friday. The game is being broadcast on CBS.
You can also join fellow students, alumni, faculty, staff and fans to cheer on the team at The Fieldhouse, located at 1150 Filbert St. in downtown Philadelphia.
All are welcome; no pre-registration is necessary.
***
Compiled by Sports Editor Steve Sherman.

Support for Jones family

On Thursday, March 26 from 7 to 9 p.m., join hoops fans as Carl Sandburg's faculty takes on the Middletown Township Police Department in a basketball game to benefit the family of deceased Middletown Police Officer Chris Jones.
Students will be selling raffle tickets as well. There are lots of prizes to be raffled off! Join the Phillie Phanatic as organizers raffle off Phillies opening day and Sixers tickets as well as autographed jerseys from the Flyers and Sixers!
The cost is $5 for a game ticket. Raffle tickets are $1 and can be purchased through a Sandburg student or by coming to the Sandburg office.
Jones was struck and killed Jan. 29 while conducting a traffic stop on Route 1, near the I-95 interchange. As he was returning to his patrol car, two cars collided and careened into his vehicle, which then struck him.
Jones succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the accident a short while later. He had served with Middletown Township police for 10 years.

PENNSBURY:Mitchell helps Bonnies to first playoff

The St. Bonaventure women's basketball team will be making its first postseason appearance in program history this Saturday.
The Bonnies can thank Bucks County's own Dana Mitchell for much of that.
The 2006 graduate of Pennsbury and all-time leading scorer for the girls both for the Lady Falcons and all of lower Bucks, Mitchell led St. Bonaventure in points with 483 a 15.6 points-per-game average.
Hailing from Fairless Hills, Dana was the most prolific shooter on the team with a .506 shooting percentage from two-point range. She also was the best free throw shooter making good on 116 of 142 attempts from the charity stripe--an .817 percentage.
Mitchell was the best rebounder on the team this year too, leading the way on both the offensive (71) and the defensive (105) glass for a total of 176. Dana didn't do bad on blocks either currently locked in a three-way tie for first with senior Priscilla Edwards and junior Andrea Doneth.
Dana also placed second among her teammates in steals with 26. In that category, she trailed only senior Kate Murray, who snatched the ball from the opponent 33 times.
On March 21, St. Bonaventure will host the winner of the West Virginia vs. Coppin State game in the second round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
"This is a tribute to my staff and our kids. They have put in so much time and not just this year, but for four years," said head coach Jim Crowley. "They have worked so hard and it's just so great that they got this award. It is just great for them to have this opportunity and hopefully the community both on campus and locally will come out to support us for this unique event on Saturday at home. We couldn't ask for anything better."
The Brown and White were selected as one of the 17 at-large teams in the 48-team tournament. The other 31 berths were awarded to the highest-finishing team in each of the 31 conference's regular season standings that didn't advance to the NCAA Tournament.
The Bonnies were rated one of the top 16 teams in the tournament and received a first round bye and a second round home game at the Reilly Center. St. Bonaventure had a record setting 2008-09 campaign and enter postseason play with a 21-10 overall record after finishing in a tie for fourth place in the A-10.
The Brown and White's program record 21 regular season wins and nine A-10 victories were highlighted by triumphs over A-10 Tournament Champion Charlotte and NCAA Tournament participants Temple and Michigan State.
In the midst of leading the Bonnies to a 21-win regular season, Crowley was named the 2008-09 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year becoming the first coach is program history to garner the award.
The accolades didn't stop there, however, as Mitchell and senior Katelyn Murray also received All-Conference honors. Mitchell was named to the All-Conference second team for the second year in a row, while Murray was named to the Academic All-Conference team and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second team.

PENNSBURY:Falcons fall in state quarters

By BILL KENNY
For BucksLocalSports

VILLANOVA — Pennsbury got everything it wanted yesterday in its PIAA Class AAAA state tournament quarterfinal against District One rival Penn Wood … almost.
Star forward Dalton Pepper provided emotional leadership for the Falcons early on, inspiring his teammates to a balanced offensive attack. Defensively, Pennsbury managed to minimize fastbreak and second-chance scoring opportunities for the Patriots.
As a result, the Falcons led by as many as nine points late in the third quarter. But victory still slipped through their grasp.
A 10-0 run to close the third and open the fourth lifted Penn Wood to a 54-50 win at Villanova University and gave the Patriots a coveted berth in the state semifinals.
The defeat closed Pennsbury’s season along with Pepper’s stellar career. The all-time leading scorer in school history, the West Virginia University-bound senior had 15 in the game to finish with 2,207 career points, just four shy of the Bucks County record and No. 80 on the all-time Pennsylvania list.
Pennsbury, which placed fourth in the District One tournament, finished at 24-6.
“I am unbelievably proud of these guys,” head coach Frank Sciolla said of the Falcons. “They were so prepared. … They were ready to go. We took away (Penn Wood’s) strengths, outside of (rebounding). But they just wore us down.”
“Everyone wants to win, but sometimes if you put everything out there, things don’t roll your way,” Pepper said. “Everyone’s upset, but everyone played as hard as they could.”
For two and a half quarters, Pennsbury looked on track to make the state Final Four for the second consecutive year.
Pepper scored a rather modest 11 points before intermission, all six other Falcons who saw playing time also made the score sheet. Eddie DiRugeris, a senior guard headed to Philadelphia University, had six points at the break, while junior point guard Jesse Krasna had four and reserve guard Marcus Healey three.
Early on, Pennsbury scored seven in a row to take a five-point lead. The Falcons led 30-24 at halftime.
Sophomore forward Aaron Brown and senior forward Duane Johnson, each standing 6-foot-5, scored 10 and six points in the first half to keep the Patriots (26-4) in the game.
Despite holding the lead, a problem loomed for Pennsbury as Krasna picked up two fouls before halftime. According to Sciolla, one of the personals resulted from a scoring error. A referee actually made the call on center Goran Dulac, who wears No. 40, not Krasna, who wears No. 4, the coach claimed.
Krasna committed a third foul with just over three minutes to go in the third quarter. With Pennsbury leading, 40-31, Sciolla rested Krasna to protect him for crunch time.
Penn Wood, the District One runner-up, immediately exploited the absence of the crafty ball-handler by turning up its defensive pressure with a half-court trap.
The Patriots scored five in a row before Krasna returned, then five more to open the fourth quarter to take a 41-40 lead.
“Honestly, it was that three- or four-play sequence,” Sciolla said. “We had to call two timeouts. We turned the ball over (when) we threw it away. … When we turned it over, they made some shots and then they just surrounded Dalton.”
Penn Wood point guard Tyree Johnson hit two 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.
The teams exchanged the lead four more times in that final period with Johnson’s two foul shots putting the Patriots up for good, 46-45.
Moments later, with Pennsbury’s deficit at four, Pepper stole an inbounds pass underneath the Penn Wood basket and immediately dunked. After a Pennsbury stop, Pepper had a chance to tie the game at the foul line, but missed the front of a one-and-one with 52 seconds to go.
Penn Wood hit five of six foul shots in the final minute to clinch the win.

***

Pennsbury (24-6) 16 14 10 10 — 50
Penn Wood (26-4) 14 10 12 18 — 54
PENNSBURY (50)
Krasna 3-2-8, Devine 2-2-7, DiRugeris 4-1-11, Pepper 7-1-15, Dulac 2-0-4, Healey 1-0-3, Marcinkowski 1-0-2, Wolff 0-0-0. Totals 20-6-50.
PENN WOOD (54)
T. Johnson 3-4-13, A. Brown 3-7-13, Pelzer 0-0-0, D. Johnson 6-3-15, Oakman 3-2-8, C. White 1-0-3, T. White 1-0-2, W. Brown 0-0-0. Totals 17-16-22.
3-pointers: Devine, DiRugeris 2, Healey (PB); T. Johnson 3, C. White (PW).

PENNSBURY: Falcons take on Penn Wood in state quarters

Fresh off a thrilling buzzer-beating victory earlier in the week, the Pennsbury High School basketball team will be back in action today in the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class AAAA State Tournament.
The opponent will be powerhouse Penn Wood, the game will be played at Villanova University and tip off time this afternoon is at 2 p.m.
Pennsbury brings a 24-5 record into this game and is hoping to advance to the state semifinals for the second straight year. Last year the Falcons fell to Chester in the semifinals in front of a packed house at the Palestra in Philadelphia.
A year ago Pennsbury also played in the state quarterfinals at the Villanova Pavilion, where it beat Ridley to advance to the Chester game.
Penn Wood brings a 25-3 record into today’s game. The Delaware County team fell to Norristown, which has since been eliminated, by the score of 52-49 in the District 1 final, but has rebounded to post two impressive state tourney wins.
In its last game, Penn Wood blasted Bartram of Philadelphia, 78-53, in a game in which standout Aaron Brown poured in 27 points and collected 14 rebounds. Tyree Johnson added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Patriots.
Pennsbury, of course, is led the University of West Virginia signee Dalton Pepper. Pepper needs just five points to become the all-time leading scorer in the history of Lower Bucks County. The current record of 2,211 points is held by former Truman star Tyrone Lewis.
Look for Penn Wood to try to put the clamps on Pepper, something which is easier said than done.
Still, Pennsbury will need solid contributions from its excellent guard combo of Eddie DiRugeris, Jesse Krasna and Dante Devine, who sank a game-winning 3-pointer against Central Dauphin East in the round of 16 Wednesday night.
As usual, today’s game will be preceded by The Trentonian pregame show at 1:30 p.m. and broadcast live on WBCB 1490 AM at 2 p.m. Broadcasting the game and hosting the pregame show will be Vince Reed and basketball guru Dave Moyer.
To listen live, click here
Later on at 4 p.m. today, Trenton Catholic Academy takes on St. Patrick's. That game is being broadcast live by WHWH 1350 AM. The pre-game starts at 1:45.
For a list of local games being broadcast by 'BCB and sister station 1350AM WHWH, click here

Today on WBCB

Pennsbury, the fourth place finisher in District One, takes on district runnerup Penn Wood at 2 p.m. today in the PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinals. The Falcons last faced Penn Wood in a district consolatioon matchup in the postseason last year at Norristown. The site of this battle is The Pavilion at Villanova University. The pre-game starts at 1:30.
To listen live, click here
Trenton Catholic Academy takes on St. Patrick's today at 4 p.m. That game is being broadcast live by WHWH 1350 AM. The pre-game starts at 1:45.
For a list of local games being broadcast by 'BCB and sister station 1350AM WHWH, click here

Four Bristol fighters medal in NJ tourney

Bristol MMA fighters Gabrielle Alicea, Brandon Bonilla,
Cyncere Eichelberger and Alexandra McClain captured medals recently
in a Brazilian Jiu Jitsutournament held in Patterson, New Jersey.

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

Competing recently in the New Jersey State Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships, four mixed martial arts fighters from Bristol took home a total of nine - count ‘em - nine medals.
That’s right four Bristol kids based at Warrior Martial Arts on Beaver St. competed in the tournament Feb. 28 at Jackson Liberty High School in Jackson, NJ with half of them taking home the gold.
Gabrielle Alicea had perhaps the most outstanding performance winning two first place medals in the teens GI and No-GI Divisions. And after moving up to the adult women’s division, Gabby captured a second place trophy all while surrendering 14 pounds in the 140-pound bracket.
Brandon Bonilla also captured Garden State gold, taking home two first place medals in the boys teen division.
Cyncere Eichelberger took home a pair of second place medals in the kids division and Alexandra McClain completed the same feat in the teen division.

Rock wrestlers medal at states

Photos by Sue Donohue

By Phil Nelson V,
Steve Sherman

HERSHEY — It was a great showing for Council Rock North 189-pounder Jamie Callender at this year’s PIAA Class AAA State Wrestling Championships.

It was only the finish that hurt.

Taking on Tony Dallago of Central Dauphin in the finals, Callender was pinned in a time of 1:33. Dallago scored on a takedown 28 seconds into the match and then pinned Callender with a double arm bar when the Rock North wrestler attempted a sit out.

The next best finish for a Lower Bucks wrestler behind Callender’s second place showing came when Rock North’s Haynes took third at 119 pounds.

Haynes dropped a 5-2 decision in the semifinals, but came back and eventually beat Mitchell Port of Bellefonte, 3-2, in the consolation final.

Taking fourth place was CR South 160-pounder Ed Shupe, who was pinned in the semifinals by Hempfield’s Jake Kemerer (40-2) and was then decisioned by Jimmy Sheptock of Northampton in the battle for third place.

In between, Eddie pinned CB East senior Devon Passman.

Council Rock South sophomore Matt Martoccio (130) and senior Jimmy Vollrath (152) both finished with eighth place medals.

PENNSBURY:Falcons advance to state quarters

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

The Falcons clawed Central Dauphin East last night, using a 3-point buzzer-beater and a 29-22 halftime edge on their way to a 45-42 victory over the Panthers.
Junior Dante Devine provided the winning basket as time expired and senior standout Dalton Pepper had a monster performance in pouring a whopping 26 points into the bucket to lead Pennsbury (24-5). Pepper's showing in the PIAA second-rounder put him just 5 points behind the all-time Lower Bucks County record of 2,211 held by former Harry S Truman hoops star Tyrone Lewis.
Just like they did in their PIAA opening round win over North Catholic, the Falcons spread the ball around again last night as Devine chipped in with 8 points. Tom Marcinkowski and Marcus Healey added 3 points apiece. Eddie DiRugeris and Goran Dulac had 2 each. Jesse Krasna added 1.
Pennsbury did it with defense too, limiting CD East senior guard Demond Bates to just 7 points on the evening. In the Panthers state opening win over Glen Mills, it was the demonstrative Bates who threw in 27 points, including all 13 of his team's points in a critical third quarter. Last night, it was star guard Jonathan Breeden leading CD East (27-4) but even he could manage only 12 points. In the Panthers PIAA opener, Breeden missed his first eight shots and finished the game with just a single basket.
With the win, the Falcons advance to face District One runnerup Penn Wood this Saturday at Villanova University. Pennsbury defeated Penn Wood 61-51 in a district consolation game last season. PennWood advanced to the state quarters with a 78-53 win over Philly Public League rival John Bartram.
State quarterfinal action get underway 2 p.m. at this Saturday at the Pavilion.
The game will be broadcast live by WBCB 1490 AM.
To listen live here, click here
For a list of local games being broadcast by 'BCB and sister station 1350AM WHWH, click here

PENNSBURY:Falcons set to face CD East

Point guard Jesse Krasna (R) led the Falcons in their PIAA opener with 10 points.












While the Falcons fell to fourth place in the District One Class AAAA tourney, Pennsbury bounced back in states with a 51-26 triumph over North catholic March 7 at Council Rock South gymnasium.
The Falcons (23-5) continue their quest for a state title at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Geigle Complex in Reading as they take on District 3 champion Central Dauphin East (27-3), who advanced over the weekend with a 59-44 victory over Glen Mills.
The senior-laden Panthers are an experienced cast that is mentally tough and tournament-seasoned. East, the District 3 and Mid-Penn Conference king, had its A game in mothballs but still bullied their way past Glen Mills, 59-44, when senior guard Demond Bates threw in 27 points, including all 13 of his team's points in a critical third quarter.
CD East wound up with a 15-point victory despite star guard Jonathan Breeden missing his first eight shots and finishing with just a single basket.
East and its dynamic three-guard attack started by spinning its wheels against the Bulls, who had 6-10 senior Aaric Murray patrolling the paint. His presence caused the gritty Panthers problems.
But Bates single-handedly kept the prowling District 1 team at bay in the third period, hitting 11 of 15 shots after the Panthers led just 22-16 at halftime. Thanks to the left-hander's shooting, East took a 35-28 cushion into the final frame.
Following a disappointing fourth-place showing in districts, it was time for top-ranked Pennsbury (23-5) to refocus and do what it does best.
This the Falcons did in dominating style last Saturday afternoon at Council Rock South as it smothered North Catholic, 51-26, in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAAA State Tournament.
“We had a week off to get right," said Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla. “We went back to what works for us.”
What Pennsbury also did is run a spread offense at the start of each quarter and let standout senior Dalton Pepper operate from the top of the key.
Although he did throw down two slams, Pepper finished with a quiet eight points to leave him 31 behind the all-time Lower Bucks County record of 2,211 held by former Truman star Tyrone Lewis.
But while Pepper was not having a big game by his standards, the fact he had the whole court in front of him resulted in plenty of passing lanes and opportunities for his teammates.
The rest of the Pennsbury team took full advantage with a balanced attack that also featured 10 points by Jesse Krasna, eight by Dante Devine and seven apiece from Eddie DiRugeris and Goran Dulac.
Dulac set the tone right away with five quick points, including a three-pointer, to open the game. The Pennsbury lead was only 11-9 at the end of the first quarter, but the game was basically history by the half with Pennsbury holding a 14-point lead.
The game will be broadcast live by WBCB 1490 AM starting at 7:30 p.m. with the pre-game beginning at 7 p.m.
To listen live here, click here
For a list of local games being broadcast by 'BCB and sister station 1350AM WHWH, click here

CR North:Roche among a premier groupslated to play Division-I soccer

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

Last summer, the FC Bucks Vipers girls soccer club captured the Region 1 championship with a 1-0 victory over Albertson Fury at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.
Come this fall, Clare Roche, of Newtown, will join forces with Fury defender Molly Bruh as both backfielders will be playing for George Washington University.
A team captain for the Fury, a perennial soccer power in eastern New York, Bruh helped her team to four state cup titles. Last year, Bruh was named as one of TopDrawerSoccer's top 100 recruits.
A co-captain at Rock-North and an All-Suburban One League Second Teamer for the past two seasons, Roche helped lead the Vipers to a third place finish at the US Youth Soccer National Championships held last August in Little Rock. FC Bucks is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation and tops in the Keystone State.
Both players are among a group of seven recruits that Colonials head coach Tanya Vogel believes will help George Washington make an immediate impact in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
While Roche also considered Fairfield, Providence and Penn while also taking a whirlwind tour of some California schools, she didn’t look past the Colonials.
“I didn’t consider any other schools after I visited GW; I just fell in love with the place,” she says.
On her first visit to the DC area campus, Roche got to pal around with Jillian Morgan, a center-back for the Colonials.
“We just clicked,” said Clare. “I got to see the social aspect of [the campus] and how much fun that whole area is.”
When Roche went back for a second visit and met the rest of the team as well as the incoming recruits, she was hooked.
“I fell in love with the city and the people--the field, the players,” she says. “I just knew it was right for me.”
What’s more, she says, it’s a good time to move to the nation’s capitol, given the change in residency that took place earlier this year in the White House.
“I think I’m going at a good time,” said Clare. “It’s a good time to be going to a campus in DC with a new president coming in.”
Roche is not the only area player who competes for FC Bucks. A large group of the players hail from right here in the Newtown-Holland-Langhorne area including former goalkeeper Tara Murphy, who recorded the shutout for the Vipers in the regional title game.
Both Murphy and Julie Oberholtzer are from Holland and both have played varsity ball at Council Rock South, though Tara is currently playing at Rhode Island.
Villa Joseph Marie sent five delegates to last summer’s national tourney along with the Vipers, including midfielders Steph Lawall (Newtown), Julie Bell (Holland), Erica Sobotka (Holland), defender/MF Alysha Mallon (Newtown) and Erin Galen (Holland).
FC Bucks has 16 girls with either signed letters or verbal agreements to play D-I soccer. Some of those from lower Bucks include Neshaminy senior Lyndsay Pierson, who is headed to Pitt and Pennsbury senior Yvonne Moyer, a Levittown resident who will play soccer at Penn.
Along with Colleen Williams, a midfielder from Titusville, Mallon is heading off to Dayton.
Both Alexa Carugati, a backfielder from Newtown and Heidi Sabatura, a forward from Lawrenceville, along with Carly Edgecomb of Princeton, will stay closer to home at Villanova.
Meanwhile, defender Taylor Houck of Chalfont is heading to Nebraska and Galen will play at West Chester. Jen Hoy, a Sellersville player who scored the game-winner in the regional finale is going to Princeton. And Kaitlyn Kerr of Bensalem, who led Pennington to a sixth consecutive NJISAA Prep A title in November, has made a verbal agreement to play for Duke right after she finishes her senior year.
Gabrielle Pakhtigian, a goalkeeper from North Wales, is heading to LaSalle and Madlyn Evans, a center-mid from Abington will play for Penn State.
According to Williams, it’s all a tribute to FC Bucks head coach Eddie Leigh. With his amiable personality and the personal interest that he takes in his players, Leigh helps his players reach for the stars.
“He’s known to every college coach,” said Williams. “Everyone loves him; he’s amazing.
“He’s like a second father to us.”
Says Clare:
“The level of talent that you’re up against here is amazing. We play against some of the top competition in the country.
“I wouldn’t have gone on to play for such a prestigious college if it weren’t for FC Bucks.”
True. Yet, the Vipers wouldn’t have gotten as far without Roche.

Today on WBCB

Pennsbury to battle Central Dauphin

While the Falcons fell to fourth place in the District One Class AAAA tourney, Pennsbury bounced back in states with a 51-26 triumph over North catholic March 7 at Council Rock South gymnasium.
The Falcons (23-5) continue their quest for a state title at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Geigle Complex in Reading as they take on District 3 champion Central Dauphin East (27-3), who advanced over the weekend with a 59-44 vicory over Glen Mills.
The game will be broadcast live by WBCB 1490 AM starting at 7:30 p.m. with the pre-game beginning at 7 p.m.
To listen live here, click here
For a list of local games being broadcast by 'BCB and sister station 1350AM WHWH, click here

Strikers headed to Vegas

The FC Pennsylvania Strikers are heading to Las Vegas tomorrow morning and will compete for a national title starting Friday in the US Youth Soccer National League Championships. Three players and the head coach hail from right here in Bucks County.

Pennsy team to compete for a national title

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

The US Youth Soccer National League Under-15 and Under-16 Girls and Under-17 Boys and Girls teams are set to resume play Friday, March 13 in Las Vegas.
One of those teams vying for a championship is the FC Pennsylvania Strikers, which got its start right here in lower Bucks.
Formerly known as the FC Bucks Strikers, the squad now draws players from as far away as Harrisburg.
Three of the players currently manning positions on the squad, which is headed out to Vegas Thursday morning, are from right here in lower Bucks. The head coach is from here, too.
Defenders Kelly Boyce and Kaitlin McNamara hail from Feasterville and Washington Crossing, respectively. Carly Black is an all-around player from Horsham.
McNamara is a Council Rock North freshman who also competes for the Lady Indians track & field team. She's also a top defender for the Strikers.
"We're fortunate to have her; she's a terrific defender," said Strikers head coach Dave Shaw, also of Washington's Crossing. "She's very hard to beat one-on-one."
A Neshaminy sophomore, Boyce grabbed a starting post last season--her first--with the Lady Redskins. A left-footed player who plays outside back for the Strikers, Kelly has been a Pennsylvania State ODP player since 2005 and a Regional ODP pool player for two years.
"Kelly is a gifted athlete who brings size, strength and speed to the Striker team," commented Shaw.
Black is a freshman at nearby Villa Joseph Marie Academy in Holland. A player with numerous skills, Black can play a post just about anywhere on the playing field, said Shaw. She was recently recruited by the U-15 US National team, and is currently listed among 34 players gathered nationwide for that squad. Black has plans to attend a U-15 US National team camp in mid-April.
The reigning Eastern Pennsylvania State Champion, the tournament trophies captured by the Strikers last year are too numerous to list. In addition to the Eastern PA title, the girls captured the Region 1 Premier League Championship. Additionally, the Pennsy team took home the WAGS Tournament trophy and the Las Vegas College Showcase Championship.
"It's a pretty special group of kids," says Shaw.
The tourney starts Friday and continues through Sunday, March 15 at Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex.
Established in 1976, the National Championships provides the opportunity for teams to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition in the nation.
"The National League provides players the opportunity to develop and test themselves in meaningful matches, and this final weekend of play for the National League Girls and Under-17 Boys will be no different as three champions will be crowned, joining the ranks of champions in the Under-17 Girls and Under-16 Boys age groups," said Paul Luchowski, US Youth Soccer National League Commissioner. "Each game will hold great significance as teams play for a League title, a chance to return next season and the opportunity to compete in the 2009 US Youth Soccer National Championships in Lancaster, Mass., July 21-26."
At last year's tourney, National League teams secured seven of the eight finals slots. National League teams went on to claim the Under-15 Boys (Baltimore Casa Mia Bays) and Girls (Dallas Texans 93 Red Dallas) as well as Under-16 Boys (Dallas Texans 92 Red) and Girls (Dallas Texans Red 92) national titles.

Photos by Sue Donohue
Council Rock South senior Ed Shupe defeated Jeff Griffith of Easton 11-7.

CR NORTH:Girls soccer clinic at North

Young girls get schooled on the field of play by the
members of the Council Rock North girls soccer team.

The Council Rock North Women’s Soccer Booster Club is now accepting applications for its popular "Go for the Goal" Spring Soccer Clinic open to girls grades K through 8.
The clinic is directed by the Council Rock North High School women’s soccer coaches and players. It is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 at the CR North High School field, 62 Swamp Rd., in Newtown.
(Raindate: Sunday, March 29).
Two sessions are available for young athletes to train in small groups. The first session begins at 9 a.m. and runs until 11:30 a.m., with check-in starting at 8:45 a.m.
The second session starts at 12:30 p.m. and runs until 3 p.m. with check-in at 12:15 p.m.
Skills covered include shooting and defending, dribbling & passing along with small-sided games and scrimmages.
Early registration is $30 due by March 21. After the deadline date, registration is $35. Advanced registration is highly recommended to guarantee a spot. Team discounts for five players or more if registered by March 21.
For information and registration forms, contact crnorthsoccer14@comcast.net.

Today on WBCB

After finishing in fourth place in the district, Pennsbury still has a chance to reach its goal of earning a state title.
The Falcons (22-5) open the PIAA Class AAAA tournament at 1 p.m. today against Northeast Catholic (17-8).
The battle takes place at the Council Rock South High School gym but you can listen to the live broadcast on WBCB 1490 AM.
Tipoff is 1 p.m. with the pre-game starting at 12:30.
To listen live here, click here

Today on WHWH

Tonight, high school hoops fans can listen to Mercer County boys basketball action as West Windsor Plainsboro South takes on Sayreville.
Listen to the live broadcast on 1350AM WHWH starting at 7 p.m. with the pre-game beginning at 6:45.
To listen live here, click here

STATES:Council Rock advances three

Photo by Sue Donohue
Council Rock South senior Eddie Shupe has advanced to the state semifinals after a 3-2 decision over Cumberland Valley 160-pounder Tristan Warner.

Bak out in two; Haynes, Callender, Shupe to the semis

By Phil Nelson V
For BucksLocalSports
Steve Sherman

HERSHEY — Let’s just say things did not go as planned for the Harry S Truman High School’s outstanding 103-pounder James Bak at the PIAA Class AAA State Wresting Championships.
The only senior in the bracket with a record of 39-2 coming in after winning a region title on Saturday, Feb. 28, Bak lost two straight matches on opening day of the tourney March 5, his season ending to a much-too-sudden finish.
After a scoreless 45 seconds in his opening bout with Mike Fake of Parkland, Bak was headlocked to his back in a move that cost the Tigers wrestler five points. Bak never did recover, suffering an 11-3 loss to the Parkland opponent.
It apparently was a devastating loss because Bak then dropped in a 7-2 decision to Jordan Conaway of Oxford in the first round of wrestle-backs.
The good news for Lower Bucks County is Council Rock South had four opening-round winners and Rock North had two.
Advancing from Rock South were sophomores Matt Rappo (125), and Matt Martoccio (130), along with seniors Jim Vollrath (152) and Eddie Shupe (160).
The Hawks 160-pounder posted an 11-7 decision over Jeffrey Griffith of Easton, but not before surviving a scare when he was headlocked for backpoints in the third period.
A transfer student from Pennsbury, Shupe (36-3) surpassed 100 varsity wins working the mats for South this season. Eddie was cruising along with an 11-2 lead on the Easton grappler when he tried to secure a position on top. What happened next nearly cost Shupe the match as he suddenly found himself in a war with Griffith. But Shupe managed to keep at least one shoulder off the mat in advancing to a quarterfinal bout against Cumberland Valley’s Tristan Warner (35-5).
Vollrath (34-3) needed an extra period to do it but he got past Matt Laird, of Conneaut Lake with a 3-1 decision. Rappo (37-8) pinned Dan Neff Solanco just a minute-and-a-half into the first period.
And while it was close, Martoccio (22-3) decisioned South Western’s Drew Rebling, 2-1.
Winning his wrestle-back match late Thursday night after losing in the first round was Rock South’s Bob Lavelle (171). Lavelle (33-11) dropped a tough decision in the opener in losing 4-3 to Cedar Cliff’s Clint Morrison but bounced back with a 5-2 decision over Bellefonte’s Christian Oberle.
Rock North’s opening-round winners were senior Zac Haynes (119), and junior Jamie Callender (189). Haynes (36-9) scored a 13-3 major decision over Clearfield’s Andrew Spicer. Callender (41-6) did the same in outpacing Todd Miller, of Ringgold, 15-2.
Meanwhile CR South senior Helfrich found himself in a war with Jamal Lyons of Erie Cathedral Prep. The Erie grappler outpaced Mark, 8-3, in the 145-pound division. Then in his wrestle-back, Helfrich dropped a 6-2 decision to Parkland’s Ian Heist.
In other developments, CB East seniors Devon Passman (36-7) and Bubba McGinley advanced for the Patriots. Passman scored a major decision over Erie Cathedral Prep's Jermaine Easter in winning 14-5. And McGinley edged Meadville’s Shelton Mack, 1-0.
Jon Brodzik (39-4), a 135-pounder for the Patriots, lost a major decision to Josh Kindig, of Blue Mountain but wrestled back well in pinning Tyler Parsons of Erie Cathedral Prep. Brodzik’s pin put him in a consolation bout with Austin Sommer of Northampton.
CB South 103-pounder Mike Mathis (30-4) decisioned Anthony Cabrera, of Bethlehem Liberty, 5-3 in overtime.
LaSalle heavyweight Kyle DiGiacobbe, of Southampton, lost twice via falls to Clearfield’s Sean Owen (9 seconds) and Nick Page of Kennard Dale (3:28) and was hence eliminated.
District One wrestlers posted a 25-23 record in first round matches (0-4 in the 140-pound weight class). Meanwhile, District 12 (City Public/Catholic League) wrestlers went 0-8 in their openers.
***

Day two saw a trio of Rock wrestlers advance including two from North. First, Haynes pinned Governor Mifflin’s Kyle Demain. Then, Callender posted a major on Elizabethtown’s Shane Rosenberry.
Jamie prepares for his semifinal bout against Central Mountain’s Jake Bachman. With Springfield Delco’s Andre Petroski seeded up against Central Dauphin’s Tony Dallago in the other semi, there’s still a chance to see another classic war between Petroski and Callender. While the Springfield wrestler outdueled Jamie in the district finale, Callender took the regional title from Petroski in the next round.
Haynes finds himself in a bracket that includes a bunch of grapplers from the western half of the state. Zac prepares for his semifinal bout with Blue Mountain’s Tyler Rauenzahn.
Shupe advanced to the semis with a 3-2 decision he posted over Tristan Warner, of Cumberland Valley. Vollrath and Rappo were not as fortunate as both fell in their quarterfinal bouts. First, Vollrath dropped a very close decision in falling, 3-2, to Dan Karpency, of Albert Gallatin. And Rappo got himself pinned less than 30 seconds into the third period of his quarterfinal bout with Easton’s Joseph Rizzolino.
With his chance for third place still alive, Vollrath got ready to battle Boyertown’s Tim Feroe. Also still alive was Rappo, who prepared for his consolation bout with Cardinal O’Hara’s Chris Alexander.
Lavelle meanwhile, got ready to war with Ty Wilps, of Chartiers Valley in consolations.
For the Patriots, after getting pinned by West Mifflin’s James Fleming in the quarters, Passman dropped to a consolation bout with Altoona wrestler Nik Zimmerman. McGinley also lost in the quarters via technical fall to Liberty’s Anthony Marino and had to face Monsignor Bonner’s Nick Bongard in consolations.
For the Titans, Mike Mathis lost a major decision to Central Dauphin’s Shyheim Brown and got ready to battle West Chester Rustin’s Corey McQuiston in consolations.

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

PIAA Wrestling
Class AAA
Opening Round

103
Mike Mathis, CB South dec. Anthony Cabrera, Bethlehem Liberty, 5-3 in overtime.
Mike Fake, Parkland major dec. James Bak, Harry S. Truman, 11-3
***
112
Bubba McGinley, CB West dec. Shelton Mack, Meadville, 1-0
***
119
Zac Haynes, CR North major dec. Andrew Spicer, Clearfield, 13-3
***
125
Matt Rappo, CR South pinned Dan Neff, Solanco, 1:31.
***
130
Matt Martoccio, CR South dec. Drew Rebling, South Western, 2-1.
***
135
Josh Kindig, Blue Mountain major dec. Jon Brodzik, Central Bucks East, 17-8
Consolation: Brodzik, fall (1:45), Tyler Parsons, Erie Cathedral Prep
***
145
Jamal Lyons, Erie Cathedral Prep dec. Marc Helfrich, Council Rock South, 8-3
Consolation: Ian Heist, Parkland, 6-2 dec., Helfrich
***
152
Jimmy Vollrath, Council Rock South dec. Matt Laird, Conneaut Lake, 3-1 OT
***
160
Ed Shupe, Council Rock South dec. Jeffrey Griffith, Easton, 11-7
Devon Passman, Central Bucks East major dec. Jermaine Easter, Erie Cathedral Prep, 14-5.
***
171
Clint Morrison, Cedar Cliff dec. Bobby Lavelle, Council Rock South, 4-3 UTB
Consolation: Lavelle, 5-2 dec. Christian Oberle, Bellefonte
***
189
Jamie Callender, CR North major dec. Todd Miller, Ringgold, 15-2.
***
285
Sean Owen, Clearfield, fall (0:09) Kyle DiGiacobbe, LaSalle,
Nick Page, Kennard Dale, fall (3:28), DiGiacobbe

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

QUARTERS
112
Anthony Marino, Liberty, tech. fall, 22-8, Bubba McGinley, CB East
***
119
Zac Haynes, CR North, fall (2:20), Kyle Demain, Governor Mifflin
***
125
Joseph Rizzolino, Easton, fall (4:27), Matt Rappo, CR South
***
152
Dan Karpency, Albert Gallatin, 3-2 dec., Jim Vollrath, CR South
***
160
Ed Shupe, CR South, 3-2 dec, Tristan Warner, Cumberland Valley
James Fleming, West Mifflin, fall (3:57), Devon Passman, CB East
***
189
Jamie Callender, CR North, maj. dec., 13-3, Shane Rosenberry, Elizabethtown

STATES:Helfrich falls in 145-pound bout

Photo by Sue Donohue
Council Rock South senior Marc Helfrich (R) found himself in a war with Jamal Lyons of Erie Cathedral Prep. Helfrich's opponent outpaced him 8-3 in the 145-pound division.

8-3

STATES:Martoccio advances with narrow win

Photo by Sue Donohue
Council Rock South sophomore Matt Martoccio (background) edged South Western's Drew Redling, 2-1, in the 130-pound division.

STATES:Haynes scores major victory

Photo by Sue Donohue
Council Rock North senior Zac Haynes majored Andrew Spicer of Clearfield, 13-3

STATES:Bak majored in Hershey

Photo by Sue Donohue
Mike Fake of Parkland majored Harry S Truman senior James Bak 11-3 in the 103-pound division.

TRUMAN:Lewis tearing it up in the MAAC

Tyrone Lewis (R) had a school record 85 steals this season.

Tyrone hitting his shots for the Purple Eagles

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

When Harry S Truman basketball standout Tyrone Lewis donned the black and gold for the Tigers, he was one of the best in Bucks County.
Things are no different now that Tyrone is playing for Niagara University’s Purple Eagles.
This season, one of the best ever at Niagara, Lewis ranked third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) with 16.3 points-per-game. Tyrone led the conference with 86 three-pointers.
Lewis opened the season by blocking eight jump shots against Towson and recorded at least three steals in 16 games. The 5-foot-11 junior guard led the Eagles in scoring 12 times while tallying double figures in 28 of the team's 31 games.
For the season, Tyrone was tops in the conference while ranking fourth in the nation with 85 steals. He ranked second on the team with 27 blocks, adding 4.6 rebounds per game to his season effort.
What’s more, the effort of the Truman graduate can be seen in the win-loss column. Niagara’s regular season record of 24-7 is the best since John ‘Taps’ Gallagher’s 1948-49 team recorded the same record.
The 24 wins is the second most in school history, behind the 1921-22 team’s 27 victories. Niagara’s 14-4 record in MAAC play is the best in program history.
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Niagara celebrated Senior Day in style March 1 with an 80-72 victory over Marist. The victory gave the Purple Eagles a 24-7 overall record, the best regular season mark in 60 years.
"We are ready for the second season," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said, referring to the MAAC Tournament, where his Purple Eagles have earned the No. 2 seed. "We are proud of what we have accomplished this season; 24-7 is very special. But we broke our huddle in the locker room talking about getting ready for the second season."
On Senior Day, the Red Foxes had no answer for Niagara's lone senior, Nigerian native Benson Egemonye, a 6-foot-10 guard from Benin City. The big man bid farewell to the Gallagher Center crowd of 2,182 with a team-high 19 points. Most of his damage came from the foul line as Egemonye shot 13-for-17 from the charity stripe.
Niagara fell behind early in the contest but used a 15-0 run midway through the first period, keyed by seven straight points by Anthony Nelson to seize control of the contest. The Eagles led by as many as 19 points in the second half.
Nelson connected on a triple to bring the Eagles to within two with five minutes remaining in the opening stanza. He buried an open jumper on the next trip and executed a tough lay-up in transition to take a 26-24 lead. Niagara would extend the advantage to 33-24 before Marist could end the run. Nelson finished the game with eight points, six assists and five rebounds.
Three other players finished the day in double figures as the Purple Eagles again executed a balanced attack. The junior trio of Lewis, Bilal Benn and Rob Garrison chipped in with 16, 12 and 17 points, respectively, in the win. Benn added a game-high nine rebounds to finish with the rebounding title, averaging a MAAC-best 9.1 rpg.
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Lewis, Benn Earn Postseason Praise

The postseason accolades continue to mount for the Purple Eagles with Lewis garnering NABC All-District and All-MAAC honors. On Wednesday, March 4, Lewis, of Bristol Township, Levittown, and Bilal Benn of Philadelphia, were named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District Team.
Both players were named to the District I Second Team. Lewis and Benn, who were named First-Team All-MAAC on March 2, are up for MAAC Player of the Year and MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Benn led the conference in rebounding with 9.1 rpg while ranking second in steals with 76. The Philly native led the MAAC with 11 double-doubles and ranked in the top 10 in eight statistical categories. Benn finished the regular season with 14.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 87 assists and 78 steals while shooting .448 from the floor, .324 from behind the arc and .713 from the charity stripe.
Niagara matched last season's win total on Feb. 8 with a 75-50 win over Fairfield. The Eagles forced 21 turnovers in the win and shot a blistering 65.2 percent from the floor in the second half.
Niagara's defense, which has been the story all season long, held Fairfield to 50 points on 34.5 percent shooting. The 21 turnovers by the Stags was a season-high for Fairfield.
"I may sound like a broken record," Head Coach Joe Mihalich said, "but we always say that defense wins championships. Our defense was real good today."
The Purple Eagles tied a season high with 16 steals, led by Benn's four and Lewis' three. Niagara totaled double-digit steals in its previous five games, all wins, averaging 13 thefts during that span.
"No disrespect to anyone else in the league," Mihalich added, "but I don't know if there are two better defensive players in the league than Tyrone and Bilal."
Both players joined senior Benson Egemonye on the All-MAAC Team. Benn and Lewis earned First-Team All-MAAC honors while Nigerian native Egemonye was named to the All-MAAC Second Team. It was the first all-conference honor for Benn and Egemonye, and the second for Lewis, who earned Second-Team All-MAAC last season.
Lewis, Benn and the rest of the Purple Eagles begin the MAAC Championships 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7 against the winner of the Iona/Marist game that takes place Friday.
The Purple Eagles split the regular season series with both clubs.

Today on WBCB 1490 AM

With the series tied at a game apiece, Pennsbury goes back to battle North Penn tonight in Lower Bucks ice hockey action. The Falcons bested the Knights in game one, 6-4 but were shut out by North Penn last night, 3-0.
Listen to the live broadcast on WBCB 1490 AM starting at 7:20 p.m.
To listen live here, click here

REGIONALS:Ten top area wrestlers headed to states

Photo by Sue Donohue
Council Rock South sophomore 130-pounder Matt Martoccio (22-3) placed third at regionals.

REGIONALS:Ten top area wrestlers headed to states

Photo by Sue Donohue
Council Rock South senior Marc Helfrich seen here in a bout with Colin McConnell of Pennridge, was the regional runnerup this year at 145 pounds.

REGIONALS:Ten top area wrestlers headed to states

Photo by Sue Donohue
Coucil Rock North junior Jamie Callender, seen here in a bout with AJ Vizcorrando of North Catholic, captured a regional title at 189 pounds.

REGIONALS:Ten top area wrestlers headed to states

Photo by Sue Donohue
Harry S Truman 103-pound regional champion James Bak has Mike Mathis of CB South in an awkward position Feb. 28 in the SE state PIAA-Class AAA regional tournament.

REGIONALS:Ten top area wrestlers headed to states

Photo by Sue Donohue
Council Rock South senior Ed Shupe battles John Staudenmayer of Plymouth Whitemarsh Feb. 28 in regionals.

REGIONALS:Ten top area wrestlers headed to states

Photo by Sue Donohue
Council Rock South senior Jim Vollrath, seen here in a bout with Randy Haun of North Penn, captured a regional title at 152 pounds.

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

To no one’s surprise, lower Bucks high schools dominated last weekend’s Southeastern Regional Class AA tournament.
In all, 10 area wrestlers will be heading to states, starting with Harry S Truman senior James Bak, who captured the 103-pound regional title.
At 39-2 on the season, the Tigers lightweight went 4-0, starting with a pin of Garnet Valley’s Kyle Loeb. In his opening bout, Bak pinned the GV freshman in 51 seconds.
Bak posted three consecutive decision wins starting with a 4-1 win over Upper Perkiomen sophomore Daniel Rodenberger. A 6-1 triumph over West Chester Rustin freshman Corey McQuiston followed by a 6-2 win over CB South sophomore Mike Mathis which earned Bak a second trip to states in as many seasons. James medaled in the tournament a year ago at Hershey’s Giant Center.
Council Rock South was the team champion with 132 points. The Golden Hawks crowned three regional champs including sophomore 125-pounder Matt Rappo (37-8), along with senior 152-pounder Jim Vollrath (39-1) and 160-pounder Ed Shupe (36-3). All three were also district champions.
Rappo captured his regional trophy with a 5-2 win over Quakertown junior Colin Bynum. Vollrath took his with a 2-1 win over Owen J. Roberts senior Nick Fuschino and Shupe took his after pinning North Catholic senior Kevin Mallon in the semis followed by an 11-3 decision over Plymouth Whitemarsh sophomore John Staudenmayer.
In addition, senior 145-pounder Marc Helfrich (33-8) and junior 171-pounder Bobby Lavelle (33-11), also district champions in their respective weight classes, fell to the runner-up position at regionals.
In their regional title bouts, Helfrich lost a major decision to Pennridge senior Colin McConnell and Lavelle got tech-falled by Penncrest senior Jim Resnick, The 171-pounder for Penncrest was later named Outstanding Wrestler at the tournament after winning his weight class.
Meanwhile, CR South sophomore Matt Martoccio (22-3) placed third at 130 pounds. After winning his first two bouts, Martoccio dropped a close decision to Boyertown junior Alex Pellicciotti, who went on to take the regional title.
Matt wrestled his way back however, taking a 5-0 decision from Oxford Area junior Kyle Moran and a 1-0 win from Pennridge sophomore Rich Jasinski.
All six wrestlers for the Hawks have qualified for the PIAA championships, which start Thursday, March 5 at the Giant Center in Hershey and continue through to March 7.
CR North senior Zac Haynes, the Indians’ only district champion, captured the regional prize at 119 pounds, only this time was joined by North junior Jamie Callender, who captured regional gold at 189.
Callender turned the tables on Springfield DelCo junior Andre Petroski, who won an 8-6 decision over the North grappler in the district finale. In the regional championship, however, Callender edged Petroski, 3-2.
Callender made his way to the regional championship with a 10-3 decision over Northeast Catholic's AJ Vizcorrando, a 15-0 tech-fall win over Joe Stolfi, of Souderton and a 7-0 victory Oxford Area junior Nick Ruggear.
Haynes decisioned Boyertown junior Matt Malfaro, 9-4, to earn his title belt.
Pennsbury junior Josh Mitchell, the Falcons only regional qualifier at 285 pounds, wound up in sixth place after going 3-3 on the day. Mitchell’s wins included a 3-0 decision over Garnet Valley's Brendan Walsh, a second period pin over Norristown junior Marcus Robbins and an overtime victory over William Tennent senior Rich Dracup. Josh defeated the Panthers wrestler 3-1 in a battle for third place at districts. He used a rideout to get past the Tennent heavyweight at regionals.
Josh’s day ended after he dropped a close decision to Alex Myers, Hatboro Horsham and a 6-3 loss to Frankford junior Elvis Diaz.
Mitchell finished his season at 32-12.
The day also finished disappointedly for Truman sophomore Sean Edmonson (34-6). Coming in as the district runnerup, Sean had hoped to reach states. But after pinning Conwell-Egan’s Pat Hecker (24-10), Sean got himself pinned by Boyertown sophomore Jeremy Minich.
After bouncing back with a 2-0 win over Upper Moreland junior Jacob Ellis, Edmondson’s day ended with a 1-0 loss to CR North sophomore Shane Longstreth (28-18) who finished in sixth place.
CR North sophomore Adam Slezak also finished in 6th-place after going 3-3 on the day. The 103-pounder for the Indians and the district runnerup finished his season at 18-9.
North senior John Kaschak finished his final season on the mat at 28-18. Another D-I South runnerup, John went 3-3 at regionals, finishing sixth.

Fourth Grade Mustangs Finish Unbeaten

The St. Martin of Tours Fourth Grade boys team from New Hope capped an unbeaten season last weekend with a win over St Jude’s, 17-7. The Mustangs ended the season undefeated at 12-0.
None of the games was closer than five points all year, and 10 were double-digit wins. Team members included Matt Paulus, Brendan Shadle, Thomas Flavin, Rhys Vaughn, Ryan Miller, Sam Czupich, Chris Green, Mike O’Donnell, and Kevin Tokash. The coaching staff was led by Chuck Miller, with assistants Ted Czupich, Rusty Paulus, and Dave Shadle.
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JV White Team Wins Comeback Thriller

The JV White team had another slow start which only led to an even more improbable finish. Trailing St. Isidore at halftime, 22-8, the team resolved to wake up in the second half and play tough. With the defensive intensity turned up more than a couple of notches, the Mustangs closed to within nine by the end of the third quarter.
The defensive pressure was led by Matt Mazza and Patrick McCann with Matt Kolen and Austin Maloney battling for every rebound. St. Isidore held a two-point advantage with less than a minute to go when Russell Abernathy sank a 17-footer to tie the game at 30.
A miss by Isidore and another rebound by Kolen had the Mustangs with the ball with only 20 seconds to go. The boys passed the ball around the perimeter like a ball in a Roulette wheel until finally, with time running out, "red hot" Blake Hildebrandt swished the game winner for a 32-30 win.
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Maroon Sweeps Weekend Games

The JV Maroon squad started the closing weekend of the season with a 30-21 win over Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Friday night. Spencer Tinkel finished with a season-high 16 points and led the Mustangs with seven rebounds.
Anthony Vlahovic, Ryan O’Leary and Dan Martin each added four points with Martin contributing four rebounds. Pat Gimpel added a bucket and four assists while Jake Powell pulled down six boards.
***
In the season finale, the Maroon used a 14-point second quarter outburst to sweep past Our Lady of Mount Carmel 35-16 on Saturday. Tinkel was the high man again for the Mustangs with 11 points while pulling down eight rebounds.
Vlahovic and Gimpel added eight points and six points respectively. Martin led the Maroon on the glass with 10 caroms as well as a bucket. Powell, O’Leary, Jake Gianatassio and Sean Flahive all made it into the scoring column with the group combining for 13 rebounds.
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Gray Tops St. Stan’s

The Gray team’s February 20 game against St. Stan’s proved to the Mustangs that they wanted to continue their winning streak and finish the season strong. The final score ended up being close, with St. Martin’s winning 25-22.
The Mustangs were behind until the second quarter of the game, however, when the squad regrouped and managed to pull ahead for the win.
Dylan Waterman led the Mustangs in the point column followed by Tim Heffernan, Brandon Griffing and Devon Rozycki. Tim Czupich supported the Mustangs with some great defense and Brian Hauch with his strong rebounds.
Tyler Nuel, and John O'Donnell played key roles for the Gray squad as they have all season.

CONWELL-EGAN: Slaton's rise to the top lightning fast

Texans running back Steve Slaton (L) was honored with his own day.
Bucks County Commissioner James Cawley (R) proclaimed it.

Day in the sun for Conwell-Egan
product came quicker than expected

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

Levittown’s own pro football player Steve Slaton always dreamed of a day such as the one that took place earlier today at his alma mater Conwell-Egan Catholic (CEC) High School. At 10 a.m. this morning in the school auditorium, the Bucks County Commissioners proclaimed March 4 as Steve Slaton Day throughout the county.
The record-setting running back for the Houston Texans just never thought a day like today would come so quickly, just after his first campaign in the NFL.
“I dreamed that one day I would return to school on a day like this,” said Slaton, a 2005 graduate of CEC. “I just thought it would happen when I was old and gray. I never thought it would happen my first year as a pro.”
Everything has always seemed to happen quickly for Slaton, who took the NFL by storm this year as the NFL's leading rookie rusher. Despite not getting his first start until a week three visit to Tennessee, Slaton just finished his first professional campaign by setting the Texans’ single-season rushing record, compiling 1,282 yards on just 268 carries (4.8-yard avg.).
And while an early season injury to Houston starting RB Ahman Green gave Slaton the chance he needed to get onto the pro football field, it was hard work that allowed Steve the opportunity to succeed.
“My parents always said whatever you put into it, you get out of it,” said Slaton. “I put a lot in.”
Slaton got onto the field quickly at Egan too, where he was plucked from the ranks of the JV team and placed onto the varsity squad in a week three battle at Cardinal Dougherty. Trailing at the half, Egan coaches decided to give Slaton a try after the intermission.
Steve took the opportunity and ran with it, all the way to the end zone. Slaton scored five times after the break, helping the Eagles to a 46-27 comeback victory over Cardinal Dougherty. His 290 yards rushing that day set a new record at CEC.
Slaton proved his worth right away in college, rushing for 188 yards and six touchdowns in just his second start for the Mountaineers--a 46-44 triple overtime triumph over Louisville. Compiling 1,128 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2005, Slaton garnered Big East Rookie of the Year honors. As a WVU sophomore, Steve reached paydirt 18 times and set a new record at West Virginia for rushing yards in a season (1,744, which ranked fourth in the nation), earning All-American honors and a chance to become that year's Heisman Trophy winner.
“We salute Steve for parlaying his time with the Conwell-Egan football program into a springboard to excellence,” stated County Commissioner James Cawley, a graduate of the school. “We look forward to watching him on Sundays as he makes all Bucks County-ans proud displaying his profound athletic gifts.”

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In a career that spanned four years as the Eagles' featured tailback, Slaton carried the ball for nearly 6,000 yards. He finished his time at Egan in a 21-12 Eagles' Thanksgiving Day win over Truman, toting the ball 27 times for 186 yards. His last two touches at CEC produced a 34-yard touchdown and a 2-point conversion.
"Just look at our wins and losses before he came here and our wins and losses once he came," said Conwell-Egan coach Kevin Kelly.
"Steve is a great football player and a great person. It was just a real honor to be able to coach him."
Slaton’s NCAA star rose just as fast at West Virginia where he rushed for 3,293 yards, scored a school-record 50 touchdowns. The capper to Slaton's first college season came in January, 2006 when Steve tallied three TDs in West Virginia's upset win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Slaton's 204 yards were not only a Sugar Bowl record, but the second most rushing yards ever in a BCS game.
Slaton helped West Virginia accumulate 382 yards against an 11th-ranked Georgia defense that came into the game having surrendered an average of just 124 yards per game against SEC opponents. Tallying 204 yards on 26 carries, Slaton broke the previous Sugar Bowl rushing mark set by Tony Dorsett in 1977.
During Slaton’s time at West Virginia, in addition to their Sugar Bowl win, the Mountaineers tallied a 38-35 comeback win over Georgia Tech January, 2007 in the Gator Bowl and a 48-28 triumph over No. 3 ranked Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl the following year.
Trailing the Yellow Jackets 28-17 at the half without Slaton, who was injured after just three rushes, the Mountaineers went on to a 38-35 win over Georgia Tech. WVU bounced back in the second half on three third quarter TDs, two through the air from QB Pat White and another rushing by the Mountaineers quarterback.
According to Steve, training played a big part in West Virginia’s ability to upset foes in big bowl games year after year.
“The biggest thing was our conditioning. We went no-huddle. A lot of teams can’t go no-huddle. You can be the best athlete but if fatigue sets in, it makes you weak.
“We played as hard in the fourth quarter as we did in the first.”
Despite all the hoopla surrounding one of Levittown’s most famous athletes, Slaton keeps both feet planted firmly on the ground. In addition to his upbringing, Steve attributes his character as an athlete to his education at CEC.
“It teaches you humility. As fast as the climb is to success, it’s an even shorter fall,” said Slaton. “I’m going to stay on top as long as I can. Whenever I do fall, I don’t want my big head to get in the way.”
Add hard work to humility and you get the sum of the parts that make up this very special player--one of the best ever to emerge from the ranks of lower Bucks high schools.
“I know I have to do more than I did last year,” said Slaton, never one to shy away from a challenge. “With the season I had, teams are going to focus on me a lot more.
“I just got to follow up with an even better year.”
Somehow, you get the feeling Slaton will find a way to exceed last season’s astounding rookie marks. And while it still feels like a dream to the rest of us, for Slaton, he’s right where he always knew he’d wound up.
Since 1994--the first year Steve suited up on the gridiron, playing football was all the Conwell-Egan grad ever wanted to do.
“I always wanted to play in the NFL; the opportunity came and I took it,” said Slaton. “I didn’t second guess it. I just knew it was right for me.”

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Steve Slaton's speech to Conwell-Egan students
assembled in auditorium for inaugural Steve Slaton Day:

“By getting an education, you can go as fast or as slow as you want.
Take as little or as much, do what you need to do to get by, or do all that you can to be an honor roll student.
“It will not only make your parents proud, but yourself also.
“With the work that you put into school, you have the book-smarts to tackle the tasks that come up in everyday life.
“The moral of my story is ‘do not sleep in class.’”