TRUMAN:Tale of two Tiger teams

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

Looking at the Harry S Truman baseball team now versus the one that took the field the first half of the season is like seeing a mirror image--mirror meaning everything in reverse.
Whereas the Tigers seemed to find a way to lose their league matches the first half of the season, the same team has turned that trend on its head and is suddenly winning.
Yesterday’s 9-5 victory at Neshaminy, coupled together with previous wins at Abington and against Council Rock North, pushed Truman to 6-4 in the SOL National conference.
Of course, it has helped that lefthander Josh Patman and third baseman Frankie Morris have returned to the lineup. Patman held the Redskins in check, surrendering 3 runs in the first two innings before settling down to blank Neshaminy through the next three frames.
When Patman left the game in favor of reliever Tyler Erhard in the sixth, the Tigers exploded with a 5-run outburst in the top of the frame that put the visitors on top, 9-3.
Up 6-3 in the top of the sixth, Truman manufactured the next three runs on nary a hit. First, Brian Beyer scored on a Bob Monahan fly ball that was caught in foul territory by Matt Wenclowicz.
Beyer reached home when Wenclowicz tried to nail Tigers CF Chris Bechter in a rundown between first and second base. Even Bechter was safe when Neshaminy failed to covered second base on the rundown. The Truman outfielder then scored on a throw to first base.
“Our plan today was to take it an inning at a time,” stated HST outfielder Adam Ashwell. “With Bechter getting in a couple of rundowns there, we played small-ball and got the runs in.
“We needed a win today; by taking it a game at a time, we got one,” stated Ashwell.
Morris became the ninth Truman runner to cross on Eddie Connolly’s fly ball to deep center that looked destined to clear the basepaths. Connelly’s ball was caught but the damage was done. A six-run lead would be all the Tigers would need.
Oh, Neshaminy looked primed for a comeback a couple of times, loading the bases in each of the last two frames, including the sixth when the ‘skins had the bases loaded and no outs.
Each time, Truman had the answer. Pulling Erhard off the hill in favor of Mike McLeod, the sophomore righthander pitched out of a jam in both innings.
When Erhard lost control in the sixth and walked Brian Cleary, Brian Fiocco and Rick Brebner to load the bases, McLeod nearly got out of the inning with no damage at all.
First, he fanned Mike Kusters and then he got Tyler Orr on a rope to rightfield.
When John Burns bounded a ball toward shortstop Zach Philippi, it looked like out number three. Except that Philippi’s throw pulled the first baseman off the bag, allowing pinch runner Nick Strickler to cross.
Cleary, Fiocco and Brebner loaded the bases again in the bottom of the seventh but McLeod retired the game’s last batter when he got Orr on a right field flyout in foul territory.
The Tigers win over Neshaminy gave Truman sole possession of third place in the SOL National conference. The ‘Skins dropped to 5-5 with the loss. Unbeaten Council Rock South sits atop the division with Rock-North a game behind with its only loss to the conference leader.
“We’ve struggled with this team over the years so this is huge,” stated Connelly.
“We struggled earlier in the year but right now we’re fighting for the number three spot in the conference so this is a real big win for us.”
The Tigers tussled with Neshaminy earlier in the month, losing 14-6 the first time the sides squared off at Truman. Winning three straight league games puts Truman right back into the thick of things.
“We were looking for revenge,” added Connelly. “We were trying to send a message--Truman's not dead.”
“Everybody is starting to come together, hitting the ball well--that’s about it.”
Unity among the rank and file, a healthy pitching staff and lots of hitting--it's about all a baseball team needs.
***
Ghosts Vanquished

The Tigers certainly came together in an April 24 win over Abington. Bechter went 3-for-4, with 2 RBIs and a run scored. Connelly dropped hits in all three of his at-bats while also plating three runners. And Jonny Schiotis went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs.
While the satisfaction of beating the MontCo team is not as significant as say a Neshaminy or a Pennsbury, it’s still a league game and another notch in Truman’s win column.
“They are definitely a team to beat in the SOL,” stated Connelly. “Definitely a good win for us--a morale booster.”
***

Indians Scalped
Just two days before the win at Neshaminy, Connelly and company gave CR North their first loss of the season. Mind you, the Tigers lost to the Rock, 11-7, the first time out and North had taken an early lead on a 2-run shot by Scott Runzer in the top of the first.
But Connelly settled down after that and while he didn’t strike out a slew of the Indian batters, he scattered 4 hits and allowed just a single run the rest of the way in a complete game win, his third victory of the season.
Schiotis went 2-for-3 against Rock while Tepper (2 RBIs), Bechter (double), Philippi (RBI) and Dustin Milewski also contributed.
“We’re a good team,” said Patman. “The first half of the season, we had some issues with some of the guys not getting along. The past couple of weeks, we really bonded and now we’re all getting along now.
“And that’s really helped us a lot.”
All of it has played itself out on the Tigers' playing field.

BRISTOL:Lady Warriors bounce back

There were two big scores involving Lower Bucks County high school softball teams yesterday.
One found Bristol avenging an earlier loss to beat Christopher Dock, 2-1. The other found Pennsbury falling to Abington a day after a big win over Neshaminy.

Bristol 2,
Christopher Dock 1

LANSDALE — The BAL standings are now all tied up again for first as Mike Lalli’s Warriors (9-2) got even for last week’s loss.
Kierstin Cain was tremendous with a two-hitter and 15 strikeouts. Jocelyn Hickey threw a three-hitter and fanned eight in defeat. All the runs were unearned with Bristol scoring twice in the fourth on a throwing error.
Bristol (9-2) 000 200 0 — 2 2 1
Christopher Dock (12-2) 000 100 0 — 1 3 3
WP-Cain (7-2). LP-Hickey (12-2).
***
Abington 4, Pennsbury 3

FAIRLESS HILLS - One day after Pennsbury's big win over Neshaminy, the Falcons (10-2) suffered their first league loss to drop back into a tie for first.
Mirella Wells doubled and Alyssa Becker was 3-for-3 with two RBIs, but it wasn’t enough to save pitcher Kate Schilling.
Abington 102 000 1 — 4 5 1
Pennsbury 010 110 0 — 3 9 4
WP-Wendel. LP-Schiling. 2B-Muehlbronner (A), Wells (P). RBIs; A-Muehlbronner, Tolton, Hilliod. P-Becker 2.
***
Bensalem 6,
Council Rock South 5

BENSALEM — Don “Bogie" Bogan’s rapidly-improving Owls picked up their first win when Julia Quigley smacked two doubles in support of pitcher Leanna Quandt. Aleisha Diamond and Quigley had two RBIs, and Jen McGinley and Brittany Barnett were each 3-for-3.
Council Rock South (0-11) 000 121 1 — 5
Bensalem (1-10) 003 120 x — 6
WP-Quandt. LP-Shafer. 2B-Deal (CRS), Quigley (B) 2. RBIs: B-Ewing, Diamond 2, Quigley 2.
***
Morrisville 16,
Plumstead Christian 0

PLUMSTEAD — Ivan “The Guru of High School Sofball’’ Colon’s Bulldogs returned to their winning ways when Kaylee Whtie and Alina Sierra blasted home runs. Sierra also doubled, Shaylynn Porras had three hits and Casey Hollopeter had six Ks.
Morrisville (6-2) 170 08 — 16 13 0
Plumstead Christian 000 00 — 0 1 5
WP-Hollopeter (5-2). LP-Taylor. 2B-Sierra (M). HR-Sierra, White (M).
***
Neshaminy 3, Truman 2

BRISTOL TWP. — The Redskins (10-1) are now back in a first place following the five-hit, six-strikeout pitching of Sarah McGowan and two RBIs by Christina Udris, including a game-winning single in the seventh.
Truman stared well with two in the first behind an RBI double by Courtney Tenaglia. Rachael Alligood struck out seven in defeat.
Neshaminy (10-1) 002 000 1 — 3 7 1
Truman (7-5) 200 000 0 — 2 5 6
WP-McGowan. LP-Alligood. 2B-Tenaglia (T). RBIs: N-Quense, Udris 2, T-Coffman, Tenaglia.
***
Kennedy-Kenrick 2,
Conwell-Egan 1

NORRISTOWN — The Eagles followed up an exciting win with a tough loss in 11 innings. Nicki Trois was the winning pitcher and doubled. Stacie DeNucci pitched a five-hitter in defeat. Both teams scored in the seventh.
Conwell-Egan (5-7) 000 000 100 00 — 1 3 0
Kennedy-Kenrick 000 000 100 01 — 2 5 0
WP-Troisi. LP-DeNucci. 2B-Troisi.

Truman, Morrisville:Lady Tigers survive scare; Bulldogs fall

WARMINSTER — It took nine innings, but the Truman High School softball team was able to avoid an upset April 28 on the road when it knocked off William Tennent, 6-2.

Lady Tiger righthander Rachael Alligood went the distance and fired a two-hitter with eight strikeouts.

Kate Barrington tied the game with a home run in the fourth inning.

Felicia McCreery had the game-winning single in the ninth.

Ashley Black (triple), Tina Coffman and Alligood each had two hits.

Truman (7-4) 001 100 004 — 6 9 2
William Tennent 020 000 000 — 2 2 2
WP-Alligood. LP-Alden.
3B-Black (T). HR-Barrington (T).




Lions claw Lady Bulldogs

MORRISVILLE — This was not a good result for a suddenly struggling Morrisville team which fell, 5-3 to Lower Moreland April 28 at home.

Casey Hollopeter took the loss, despite Kaylee White’s 10th double of the year.

Morrisville (5-3) struck out 14 times against Dawn Vaccaro.
***

Lower Moreland (2-7) 023 000 0 — 5 4 1
Morrisville (5-3) 300 000 0 — 3 2 3
WP-Vacarro. LP-Hollopeter (5-2). 2B-White (M).

PENNSBURY:Falcons foil the Redskins - again

By Rick Fortenbaugh
For BucksLocalSports.com

FAIRLESS HILLS — While this might still be the year the talented Neshaminy High School softball team finally catches up to Pennsbury, it was basically more of the same when the two SONL powerhouses collided the afternoon of April 28.
Doing what it does best by raising the level of its game to match the opposition, Pennsbury (10-1) defeated arch-rival Neshamniy (9-1) by the score of 4-1 in front of a large crowd.
Neshaminy will get another shot at Pennsbury later this month, but for now, it’s the Falcons who are all alone in first place.
It’s also believed to be the 11th straight time Pennsbury has beaten Neshaminy, which is remarkable when you consider the level of the second-ranked Redskins program.
“Neshaminy is a great team, and that’s from one to nine in their lineup," said Pennsbury coach Frank McSherry, who has over 500 wins in 26 years of coaching. “For us to beat them we had to play a perfect game."
Sensing this might finally be its year, Neshaminy came out fired up and scored right away when when Courtney Clee walked and Christina Udris later stroked an RBI single in the top of the first.
In between, however, Pennsbury was able to gun down a crucial run at the plate on a double by Erin Quense, who was 3-for-4 and had more than half of Neshaminy’s five hits.
Although nobody could have realized it at the time, that would be it for the Redskins offense against Pennsbury junior righty Kait Schilling (7-0).
Facing one of the top pitchers in the area in sophomore Sarah McGowan, Pennsbury tied the game in the third when lead-off batter D'anna Devine singled, Alyssa Shirley executed a sacrifice and Lauren Rossi stroked a two-out RBI single to left field.
It was in the fifth inning when Pennsbury took control with a three-run outburst against McGowan (5-1).
It all started with a pretty one-out bunt single by No. 9 batter Kelsi Bunda. After Devine singled to center, Shirley again put down a successful sac bunt.
This worked out even better than hoped for when the ball was thrown away at first and Bunda was able to race home with the go-ahead run.
Neshaminy’s only error also left runners at second and third with out out. The Redskins almost got out of it, but one out later, Kirby Groves smashed a two-run double off the right-center fence.
That was the ball game, as Schilling allowed just one base runner in the seventh to finish up her masterpiece.
“Kait doesn’t overpower you, but she can hit her spots," said McSherry. “And every spot we asked her to hit she hit today.
“She really stepped it up for us."
Another key factor was the clutch hitting of Pennsbury seniors Rossi and Groves.
“It was outside," said Groves of the pitch she hit for a booming double. “I had two strikes on me and I just knew I had to put the ball in play. We knew this was a big game. We knew we had to really come to play."
In other words, the Falcons just did what they always seem to do in these sort of situations.
“It was the best we played all year and it was the best Kait pitched all year," said McSherry.
***
LINESCORES
Neshaminy (9-1) 100 000 0 — 1 5 1
Pennsbury (10-1) 001 030 x — 4 8 1
WP-Schilling (7-0). LP-McGowan (5-1).
2B-Quense (N) Groves (P).
RBIs: N-Udris. P-Rossi, Groves 2.

PENNSBURY:Falcons scalp Indians in overtime

Council Rock North has never beaten Pennsbury in boys lacrosse, and after a Kenneth Warren goal three minutes into overtime for a 12-11 final score, that record still stands. But coming from behind in the second half, the Rock made a strong run at the Falcons and almost grabbed the gold.
Falcon attackman Warren ended up with 3 goals and fellow attackman Peter Sweetland poured in 5 to pace the Pennsbury team to the dramatic win. For Council Rock North, attackman Doug Rheiner led the charge with 5 goals and and attackman Tyler Hamilton contributed with 3 of his own.
The first quarter saw the Falcons and Indians trading goals, until Pennsbury pulled ahead with two consecutive goals in the last minute of the quarter to set the ledger at 5-3 Falcons. Pennsbury goals in the quarter were by Shawn Caven, Peter Sweetland (3), freshman Ryan McDonald and Kenneth Warren, while the Council Rock North goals were by Gifford, Doug Rheiner and Tyler Hamilton.
The second quarter saw the Indians outscore the Falcons by a tally of 2-1, with the Rock's Doug Rheiner scoring on both of his on a man-up and an even-strength goal, while the Falcon's Kenneth Warren scored on a short-handed goal after beating a double-team on the outside.
The game was marred by a serious injury to Pennsbury midfielder Ricky Jutkiewicz, who was hit from behind as he drove to the net and suffered a severe laceration as his knee and shin scraped against an edge of the goal's pipes. The game was suspended while a medical team and ambulance came to assess the injury and take Jutkiewicz to the hospital.
Nursing a 6-5 lead, Pennsbury came out in the second half and scored four unanswered goals, with three of them in the first 2-and-1/2 minutes of the quarter. Sweetland intercepted a Rock clearing attempt and rifled a pass back to Warren on the doorstep for a triple-fake goal.
Warren returned the favor 15 seconds later when he dodged from behind the cage and fed an open Sweetland at the side of the crease for the put-in. Freshman Lewis Sears joined in when, filling in for Jutkiewicz, he dodged from the top and put in a bounce shot over the Rock goalie.
Two minutes later, attackman Calvin Hopkins found a cutting Tim Considine (midfielder), who grabbed the pass on the run and rifled in the goal for a 9-5 Pennsbury lead.
Not to be outdone, the Indians then went on a 6-goal run of their own that spanned the third and fourth quarters. In the third quarter, Hamilton and Rheiner scored the Council Rock goals - Hamilton on a fast break and Rheiner with a muscular drive in from the left wing - cutting the Pennsbury lead to 10-7.
The fourth quarter saw the Indian onslaught continue, with four consecutive goals against a reeling Pennsbury team by Rheiner (2), Hamilton and Brenner to put the Rock into their first lead of the game at 11-10 with 3:22 remaining in the game.
But the Falcons clawed their way back into contention when Kenneth Warren bulled his way in from the right side, drew the slide and hit Sweetland with a cross-crease pass that Pete converted with a double-deke shot to tie the game at 11-11 with two minutes to play.
Regulation play ended just as Rock goalie Dom Colarusso made a save on Kenneth Warren's last second shot, setting up the overtime period.
Pennsbury's Shawn Caven had dominated the centerfield face-off the entire game, with Pennsbury winning 18 out of 25 face-offs to that point, and he continued his statement by cleanly winning the face-off in the overtime period and gaining possession of the ball.
After a time-out to set up a play, the Falcons ran the ball behind the goal, with Sweetland and Warren setting picks for each other and running give and go plays – moving the Council Rock defense from side to side. Sweetland ran past a Warren pick then turned and passed the ball back to Warren, who attacked the edge of the crease at GLE and sent an underhand shot past the Rock goalie and into the far lower right corner for the game-winning OT goal.
For now, Pennsbury's streak versus the Rock is intact.
The victory sets up a key game April 29 against Abington as the two teams, both undefeated in Suburban One National play, vie for the league title.
The win puts Pennsbury at 8-5 for the year and 6-0 in the Suburban One National conference, while the CR North Indians are 7-5 on the year and 4-3 in the Suburban One National conference.
***
Box Score
Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT Final
CR North 3 2 2 4 0 11
Pennsbury 5 1 4 1 1 12
(April 28 at Pennsbury)
***
GOALS:
Pennsbury - 12; Peter Sweetland 5; Kenneth Warren 3; Shawn Caven 1; Tim Considine 1; Ryan McDonald 1; Lewis Sears 1.
Council Rock North - 11; Doug Rheiner 5; Tyler Hamilton 3; Brenner 1; Sam Weinstein 1; Gifford 1.
ASSISTS:
Pennsbury - 8;Kenneth Warren 3; Peter Sweetland 2; Shawn Caven 1; Calvin Hopkins 1; Ricky Jutkiewicz 1.
Council Rock North - 7; Pat Sweet 4; Bambu 1; Brenner 1; Doug Rheiner 1.
SHOTS:
Pennsbury 28, Council Rock North 27
SAVES:
David Cutler 6 (Pennsbury) , Dom Colarusso (Council Rock North) 3
RECORDS:
Pennsbury (8-5) overall and (6-0) in the Suburban One National, Council Rock North (7-5) overall and (4-3) in the Suburban One National.

Jog for Joints 5K at St. Mary's

St. Mary Medical Center will host “Jog for Joints: Promoting bone and joint health for a lifetime,” this Saturday, May 2. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. in the St. Clare Medical Building and the run/walk starts in the parking lot across from the Emergency Department and continues through Core Creek Park.
The 5K run/walk and orthopedic patient reunion walk of up to one mile acknowledges the accomplishments of joint-replacement patients and raises awareness of the comprehensive orthopedic services provided at St. Mary.
The 5K run/walk is a free event open to the public but pre-registration is required.
For a registration application, visit www.StMaryHealthcare.org/jogforjoints or call 215-710-5888 for more information.
Free parking is available in the St. Clare Medical Building garage.
Following the run/walk, “Jog for Joints” will include a brunch and an informative interview-style program lead by Jim Foxwell, host of WBCB 1490 AM’s The Morning Show.
The interactive program will feature live interviews with Dr. George Cautilli, Medical Director, St. Mary Joint Replacement Center; orthopedic surgeon, Dr. George Stollsteimer; several patients who received advanced orthopedic care at St. Mary; and several retired Philadelphia Eagles players, who will speak about their personal experiences with joint replacement surgery and sports injuries.
Retired Philadelphia Eagles football legends including Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro linebacker Bill Bergey, wide receiver Fred Barnett, linebacker Garry Cobb, and All-Pro linebacker Ike Reese, are scheduled to attend the event and sign autographs. In addition, Bergey will share his experiences as a joint-replacement surgical patient, and Barnett will speak about his experience with a serious ACL tear in his knee during his NFL career and its impact on his career and lifestyle.

Pennsbury signs three to Division II

Morotti (pictured, right) headed to Holy Family; two others going to Chestnut Hill to play LAX



By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

Pennsbury High signed a trio of athletes headed to Division II programs next year.
One is golfer Bob Morotti and the other two are moving on to the next level to play lacrosse.
The lacrosse players juggled various sports until committing to their current game. Morotti made up his mind he wanted to play golf at a high level more than seven years ago after watching Tiger Woods blow away the competition at the U.S. Open.
The year was 2000. The place was Pebble Beach. Woods was the only player to finish the tournament below par, a whopping 15 strokes ahead of runnerups Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Woods was just 24 then and already had taken the Masters (1997) and the PGA championship (’99). Later that year at St. Andrew’s when Tiger took the British Open by 7 strokes, he became the youngest player ever to complete a career Grand Slam.
“He’s one of the greatest golfers I’ve ever seen play the game,” said Morotti. “When I saw [Woods] on TV in the U.S. Open, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
Wanting something and doing it are two different things, though.
As late as last year, Morotti was still hovering around in the mid-90s working his game at Yardley Country Club, home of the Falcons.
“I was a mess,” admitted Morotti.
In the past year, however, Bob has sliced more than 10 strokes off his handicap. His varsity handicap at YCC presently stands at 3.6, measuring out between 6 and 7 over 18 holes (varsity matches are just 9 holes).
Last fall, for the first time in his varsity career, Morotti made it to the SOL Golf Championships that took place at Indian Valley CC.
The improvement is a big part of the reason why Bob recently made a commitment to play golf next fall at Holy Family University.
A job Morotti obtained tending to the golf carts at Makefield Highlands has helped. It’s given him both the venue and the time he’s needed to work on his game. Of course Bob was more than a willing partner in all this.
“I just decided one day if I was ever going to get good at this that I needed to practice hard,” he said. “I haven’t stopped since.”
Morotti is always tweaking his game, most recently using a method off the tee called Stack-and-Tilt, a technique he used during varsity season but has since abandoned.
“He’s not afraid to take a round and try new things,” stated Pennsbury golf coach Glenn Goldsborough.
Bob has also worked on the mental part of his game, adding that the best way he’s found to get focused is to play for money.
“I’ve worked a lot on my short game and practice a lot of irons--shape shots--I’ve gotten really good at it.
“I figure if I work hard enough, I’ll try to go all the way to the [PGA] Tour.”
***

Pennsbury goalkeeper David Cutler is a 3-year varsity player for the Falcons, who also plays club ball for Head Coach Dean Curtis’ Arrowhead club team. Until this season, he was a perennial backup.
He got his chance to start when the starting keeper Chris Shubert--last year's first team all SOL National Conference goalie--came down with an illness and he’s made the most of it.
Cutler made 9 saves in a recent win over SOL National Conference rival Council Rock South. Of course it helped that the Pennsbury attack kept the pressure on the Golden Hawks outshooting the opposition 35-19.
In that battle, the Falcons were up, 4-1, before blowing the game open with 4 goals in the final frame. The win kept Pennsbury perfect at 4-0 in the conference, and pushed their overall mark to 6-4.
Against Rock North, Cutler upped the ante, making 10 saves in a 10-3 win over the league rival Indians.
Come fall, Cutler will be joined by classmate Corey Hook, a midfielder who played varsity last year but who has been held from the lineup this season nursing a knee injury.
Hook’s story is a little different from Cutler’s. The Falcon middie started out playing ice hockey--a sport in which he competed since the age of five. Hook didn’t start playing lacrosse until he was 11 but he fell in love with the sport almost instantly.
Oh he still played ice hockey but gradually his desire started leaning more and more toward lacrosse.
“I just fell in love with lacrosse,” said Hook. “Hockey went to the back burner.”
Corey says he has Curtis to thank for improving his game and enabling him to take lacrosse to the next level.
“Coach Curtis makes you strive to work hard at reaching your potential,” Hook said. “He pushes you as far as you can go--there’s no limit. You’re as good as you make yourself.”
Looking back, Corey says he has no regrets about choosing lacrosse over ice hockey.
“Hockey just wasn’t any fun anymore; but lacrosse was.”
***
NOTES: Falcon golf coach Glenn Goldsborough reports that senior Laura Schiavo has committed to play golf at West Chester.

Scherer approaching 100

Pennington School junior and town resident Madeline Scherer currently has scored 94 goals on the Red Raiders varsity girls lacrosse team.

Maddie scored seven goals in Pennington's road win over Montclair-Kimberley, helping the Raiders rally from five down at halftime to win, 16-15, on April 27.

It is likely that Scherer will achieve the 100-goal mark in either the away game against Princeton High School April 29 (Wednesday at 4 p.m.) or the home game on Saturday, May 2 against Blair Academy at 3 p.m.

Upper Makefield opens season with an assist

The incessant rainy spring weather broke on April 18 with a beautiful day for baseball, and the organizers of the Upper Makefield Youth Baseball League (UMYBL) Opening Ceremonies couldn’t have been happier.

With a big assist from the Council Rock North varsity and junior varsity baseball teams, the league opened its season with a full schedule of games, team photos and skills clinics for nearly 200 young players.

The event was held at the UMYBL baseball complex adjacent to Sol Feinstone Elementary School. Event organizer Terri Miller, of Washington Crossing, was thrilled with the participation and the results.

“Our board and our volunteers have all been working so hard since last season to get ready for this season. It was so great for us to finally get down to baseball and softball,” said Miller.

In previous years, the league has opened the season with a parade through Washington Crossing, but decided this year to depart from tradition.

“For the last several years, we have had indoor clinic programs for kids during the winter time,” said Miller. “We decided that clinics would be a great way to help kick off the season and help some of our younger players get into the spirit of things.”

That is where Council Rock came in.

The Indians players manned seven different clinic stations for two hours. Skills instruction included throwing, catching, fielding, base running and batting. The students consisted of nearly all of the 200 or so boys and girls aged 5 to 7 in the T-ball and instructional divisions of the league.

CR North varsity baseball coach Dan Kusters was grateful the Indians were invited to take part in the event.

“We had a great time working with the little sluggers of Upper Makefield, said Kusters. “UMYBL is a first class organization with a fantastic facility, but more importantly, they do a great at giving these kids a wonderful baseball and softball experience.

“Our players and coaches felt like we were part of something special.”

“It was truly incredible watching the Council Rock players working with our little ones, said Miller. “The boys did a phenomenal job with the kids.”

A new tradition may have been started. Both Miller and Kusters agreed, “We must be sure to make this an annual event.”

The Upper Makefield Youth Baseball and Softball League has close to 600 players from ages 5 to 18 registered for the current season and plays at both the Sol Feinstone complex and Lookout Park.

The League plays a schedule of some 700 in-house and travel games from April to late June and will host the U-12 Cal Ripken Baseball State Championship Tournament July 17-21.

For more information, visit www.umybl.org.

Yardley native among swimmersinvited to Olympic Training Center

Nicholas Johnson, of Yardley, recently participated in the USA Swimming Diversity Select Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Held April 23 to 26, the Diversity Select Camp is designed to instill a vision of success and inspire swimmers from ethnically under-represented populations to become leaders in the sport of swimming.

Johnson is a two-time high school swimming All-American, who placed in the top five in the 100 free at summer nationals last July.

While attending the three-day camp program, Johnson participated in a combination of pool training, motivational and education sessions, and team building activities with other camp members.

A total of 32 athletes, 16 boys and 16 girls, were selected to attend the camp. All attendees range in age from 13 to 18 years old, are registered USA Swimming athlete members, and represent an ethnic population that is less than 20 percent of the current USA Swimming membership.

These populations include: African American, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander or Native American.

Johnson was selected for this year's camp based on his power point scores in a combination of three events. He is headed to Northwestern on scholarship in the fall.

All camp attendees who applied for selection must have also achieved at least one Diversity Select Camp time standard.

For more information on the USA Swimming Diversity Select Camp, visit www.usaswimming.org.

Manto, Vincent amongBucks Sports Hall inaugural class

NFL Players Association President Troy Vincent (center) poses for a photo with two boys
who attended the Bucks County Sports Hall of Fame inaugural banquet.

Troy Vincent and Jeff Manto headed a list of inductees who were in attendance at the Bucks County Sports Hall of Fame inaugural banquet that took place recently at King's Caterers in Bristol.

Born in Trenton and raised in Lower Makefield, Vincent played high school football at Pennsbury, was All-American at Wisconsin and later a No. 1 draft pick of the Miami Dolphins.

He became an All-NFL defensive back with the Philadelphia Eagles and won the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2002.

Vincent is the current president of the NFL Players Association who once lived in Lower Makefield.

Born in Bristol, Manto was a member of the Phillies 1993 National League Championship team and from 1985-2000 was involved at various levels of pro baseball as a player and coach.

Bucks County’s chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame inducted this class at the end of January.
***
Bucks County Sports HOF:

Troy Vincent, Pennsbury, 1996-2004 Philadelphia Eagles.

Jeff Manto, Bristol, Philadelphia Phillies 1993 NL Champions.

Sheila Murphy, Neshaminy Coach/Athletic Director.

Hal Heffelfinger, West Chester State College ’62 NCAA Division 1 Soccer Team.

Vic Stanley, Council Rock Wrestling Coach 1967-1992, LaSalle College HS.Harry Schuh, Neshaminy 1961 All State Football team, Oakland Raiders.

Joel Baba, Neshaminy Gymnastics Coach, Coached 1957-1975 & 1986-1988, Syracuse, 1952 US Olympic alternate.

Walter Bahr, Penn State Soccer Coach, US National Team captain, 1950 FIFA World Cup, 1948 Olympic Team.

Dick Bedesem, Bishop Egan Football Coach, Won Phila. City Title ’63, ’66, ’67, ’69 and ’70.

Dick Dougherty, Bucks County Courier and Times Sports Journalist.

Dick Hart, Morrisville, Captain of 1955 LL World Champions, 1961 Lower Bucks Football Player of the Year, Phila. Eagles ’67-’71.

Larry Marshall, 1964-67 Bishop Egan, MVP ’67 City Title Football game, Univ. of Maryland Football MVP ‘72.

John Petercuskie, Neshaminy Football Coach ’54-’65. Cleveland Browns Special Teams Coordinator ’78-’84.

Harry Startzell, Delhaas HS Coach/Athletic Admin. Played Semi-Pro Baseball from ’49-’57, Pro Scout for Baltimore Orioles ’57-2000.

1955 Morrisville Little League World Championship Team.
***
- Steve Sherman, George O'Gorman

HOPEWELL:Ewing extinguishes Inferno

The Hopewell Inferno's difficult Spring season continued with a 3-1 defeat to local rivals West End that took place in sweltering conditions Sunday, April 26 at Ewing.

After recent setbacks, the Inferno coaches asked their players to return to simple basics, which payed off early when some good interchanges lead to an early goal--their first of the season--with Paul Shatynski finishing a multiple man move from close range.

However the Inferno found it hard to maintain their momentum in the heat, and Ewing gradually fought their way back into the game.

Despite holding a 1-0 lead at halftime, and some outstanding and brave goalkeeping by Owen Clarke, West End netted twice shortly after the interval.

A brave attempt at an Inferno retaliation was cut short by a harsh penalty decision, leading to a third West End goal from the spot.

With the heat building, injuries to key players made the task seem even harder, and the remaining 11 Inferno players saw out the game without conceding any further goals.

Upper Makefield gettingset for Cal Ripken states

The Upper Makefield Youth Baseball and Softball League (UMYBL) has announced plans for hosting the 2009 U-12 Cal Ripken Baseball Pennsylvania State Championship Tournament, July 17-22 at the UMYBL baseball complex on Eagle Rd. next to Sol Feinstone Elementary School.

The League was awarded tournament by Cal Ripken Baseball last September following a detailed application process.

The tournament will coincide with a “Fan Fest” event that is planned to help draw interest to the championship tournament.

“We want this to be something special,” said Jay Pomeroy of Newtown, a UMYBL Board Member and Tournament Director. “Teams and families are coming a long way to be a part of this tournament. We want to make sure it is a memorable experience for both the players and their families and fans.

“And, we hope to draw additional fans from around the area to see championship baseball and join in the family fun.”

The Tournament will consist of eight teams from who will have advanced through District competition. On Friday night, July 17, things will kick off with opening ceremonies that will include a celebrity guest speaker and a skills competition for the players that will be highlighted by a home run derby.

Pool play begins on Saturday and continues Sunday and will have all eight teams participating with each team playing three games (two on one day, one on the other; no team will be eliminated until the completion of the games Sunday).

Four teams will reach the semifinals on Monday, and the Championship game will be played on Tuesday night, July 21. The Pennsylvania State champ will then move on to a Regional tournament in Bridgewater, NJ on August 5 and the potentially to the National tournament at the Cal Ripken Baseball Academy in Aberdeen, Maryland on Aug. 15.

The plans for Fan Fest include a large fan pavilion area for food and refreshments provided by multiple food vendors. Also planned are raffles, auctions, and merchandise and activity booths for the families and fans to enjoy between games.

To help defray the costs of the Tournament, UMYBL will be looking for Vendor Partners and Tournament Sponsors to take part in the Fan Fest. “UMYBL is a 501c-3 non-profit organization, and we can’t put on a first class tournament without help from the community,” said Pomeroy.

”We think we have developed a program that will be a win for our sponsors and partners and help us to put on a great event for the fans.” Pomeroy expects over 3,000 spectators to attend over the five days of the tournament. Admission to the tourney is free.

Upper Makefield begins its third season of Cal Ripken play. Cal Ripken Baseball is a competing organization to the more well known Little League baseball. Led and by managed by its major league and Hall of Famer namesake, the organization has a challenging set of criteria for players 11 and above.

Field dimensions are greater (bases are 70 feet apart versus 60 feet for Little League, and the pitcher’s mound is 50 feet from home plate, versus 46 feet), and base runners are allowed to steal at anytime - not just after the ball crosses the plate.

Upper Makefield Youth Baseball League is a registered 501c-3 non-profit, led by a dedicated group of volunteers who proudly serve the boys and girls of community, ages 5-18, by promoting good health, good sportsmanship and leadership skills through the opportunity to play organized baseball and softball in a safe, supportive environment.

For more information regarding the Cal Ripken Baseball Championship Tournament and Fan Fest, contact Jay Pomeroy at jaypom1@gmail.com or visit www.umybl.org.

HOPEWELL VALLEY:Rutledge returns to the region

University of North Carolina-Wilmington junior Meredith Rutledge made her way back to the region last week when she competed in the Penn Relays on Thursday, April 23. Meredith is a javelin thrower for the Seahawks.

If you recall, Rutledge, a 2006 graduate of Hopewell Valley Central, was a standout in both basketball and soccer. But she blew her right knee out on the basketball court as a HoVal junior and could no longer step back onto the hardwood.

HoVal girls track & field coach Aaron Oldfield introduced Rutledge to the javelin and she's been throwing ever since.

Rutledge went on to compete in the Relays first as a Hopewell Valley junior. She's went back to Franklin Field last Thursday and posted a mark of 122 feet, 6 inches, placing her 11th overall in the event. Alexandra Kelly, of Rutgers, won the event with a toss of 152-1.

In previous NCAA competition, Rutledge finished fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships in 2008 while posting a fifth-place finish at the 2007 CAA Championships. Her personal best in the javelin is 131 feet, 5 inches.

* Event: Javelin
* PR: 131-5
* Finished fourth at CAA Championships in 2008.
* Posted fifth-place finish at 2007 CAA Championships.

Today on WHWH

WBCB 1490 AM and sister station WHWH 1350 AM continue their spring broadcast coverage this afternoon, giving you the play-by-play when Notre Dame battles perennial baseball power Steinert.
The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. (The pre-game show is set for 3:15.)
On Saturday, cross-town rivals Hopewell Valley and Pennington do battle in baseball. That skirmish begins at 11 a.m. and is at Pennington.
To hear every pitch live, click here
For a list of local games being broadcast by 'BCB and sister station 1350AM WHWH, click here
***
This week on WHWH
DAY OPPONENTS PRE-GAME GAME-TIME
Fri., Apr. 24 Notre Dame @ Steinert-1350 3:45 p.m. 4 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 25 Hopewell Valley @ Pennington-1350 10:45 a.m. 11 a.m.

PENNSBURY:Falcons, Redskins getheadstrong in fight against cancer

The Pennsbury and Neshaminy boys lacrosse teams meet on Thursday evening, April 30 at Neshaminy High School for a Suburban One National lacrosse game.
In addition to a great lacrosse game, the event is also a fundraising event for the HEADStrong foundation in it’s fight against blood cancer. Both teams will be wearing the signature lime green HEADStrong laces and also the new HEADStrong crew socks.
Please come out and support the fight against cancer by purchasing your HEADStrong gear and clothing at the HEADStrong tent at the game. This way, you can help support both great lacrosse and the fight against blood cancer.
Find out how you can help at www.headstrongfoundation.org.
The junior varsity game begins at 5 p.m. and the varsity game will be played at approximately 7 p.m. following the JV game.

PENNSBURY:Falcons claw Tigers

April 23 on the turf at Hank Morgan Field, it was Pennsbury vs. Truman. Round two in the home-and-away series in the Suburban One National conference went to the visiting Pennsbury Falcons by a 13-4 margin.
Playing under the lights, the Falcons picked up where they left off in the first game, with middie Shawn Caven running a fast break and feeding attackman Peter Sweetland with the cross-crease pass for the first Pennsbury goal a minute into the game.
Another minute later, the Falcons ran another fast break off the defensive turnover and after four quick, crisp passes, Sweetland fed Matt Mager for the second goal of the game.
Pennsbury keeper Dave Cutler was not challenged as he turned away all the shots that came his way and the Falcon defense forced multiple turnovers.
Pennsbury scored the next three goals in the initial period, with attackman Kenneth Warren assisting on all three, a running shot by Shawn Caven, a turn-and-shoot by attackman Calvin Hopkins, and a rocket shot by midfielder Ricky Jutkiewicz.
Staked to a 5-0 lead, the second quarter began with Pennsbury’s Shawn Caven feeding Kenneth Warren for a shot and goal from the right side. The second quarter also saw the season's first appearance for Falcon goalie Chris Shubert--last year's first team all league goalie, who has been recuperating from an offseason illness.
Truman, playing hard and battling throughout the game, came back with their first score--with a save by Shubert rebounding high into the air and then back into the waiting stick of the Tiger's Jeremy Ghost, who rifled the ball into the back of the net for Truman's first goal and a 6-1 score.
Pennsbury answered back at the six minute mark when Matt Mager sped down the middle on a fast break and rifled a perfect pass to Peter Sweetland on the doorstep for a 7-1 Falcon lead.
But the Tigers were not done. Playing with intensity, the Truman attack forced a turnover in front of the Pennsbury net and Jake Nessen grabbed the loose ball and found the twine to cut the lead to 7-2.
Less than a minute later, the Tigers’ Nick Walsh ran to the right side and shot a rocket that found top shelf for their third goal of the quarter. The Falcons showed that they had an answer when Ricky Jutkiewicz received an inside pass from midfielder Tim Considine and quick-sticked the ball into the goal.
The scoring for the half ended when Pennsbury's Shawn Caven dodged from behind the net, drew the slide and found Kenneth Warren in front of the crease for a catch-and-shoot put in and a 9-3 Pennsbury lead.
The third quarter was all Falcons as Ricky Jutkiewicz picked up a loose ball, dodged two defenders and slammed a shot home for his third goal of the evening. Then, on a man-up opportunity, Jutkiewicz fed Kenneth Warren for Warren's third goal of the night as well.
Shawn Caven also converted his second goal of the night at the six minute mark of the quarter as he cut to the net and received a feed from Kenneth Warren standing behind the goal.
The Pennsbury defense put constant pressure on the Truman offensive players, causing turnovers and helping keep the ball in the Falcons’ offensive end.
Two minutes into the final stanza, Peter Sweetland found himself one-on-one with a defender, dodged from behind the goal and put in a sharp-angle shot for a 13-3 Pennsbury lead.
The remainder of the game saw a back-and-forth affair, with Pennsbury substituting freely. With just over a minute left, the Tigers gave notice that they had no quit in them when Nick Walsh fed a quick pass to Jeremy Ghost, who then ripped a shot from the left side of the cage into the top right corner to nail the contest's final score at 13-4.
The win puts Pennsbury at 7-5 for the year and 5-0 in the Suburban One National conference while Truman falls to 1-9 for the year and 0-5 in the Suburban One National conference.
***
LINESCORES
Team 1 2 3 4 - Final
Pennsbury 5 4 3 1 - 13
Truman 0 3 0 1 - 4
(April 23 at Truman)
Goals:
Pennsbury - 13, Pete Sweetland 3, Kenneth Warren 3, Rick Jutkiewicz 3, Shawn Caven 2, Calvin Hopkins, Matt Mager.
Truman - 4; Jeremy Ghost 2, Jake Nessen 1, Nick Walsh 1.
Assists:
Pennsbury - 11; Kenneth Warren 4, Shawn Caven 3, Peter Sweetland, Calvin Hopkins, Ricky Jutkiewicz, Matt Mager.
Truman – 1; Nick Walsh.
Shots:
Pennsbury 31, Truman 13.
Saves:
David Cutler (Pennsbury) 0, Chris Shubert (Pennsbury) 9; Huber (Truman) 8.
Record:
Pennsbury (7-5), Truman (1-9).

CR NORTH:DeForrest named PSU swim captain

Penn State junior Lindsey DeForrest, a Council Rock High School North alum from Wycombe, has been elected captain of the Nittany Lion Women's Swimming & Diving team for next season (2009-10).
Last season, DeForrest captured sixth place in the 100 freesyle at the Big 10 championships; her time of 49.7 seconds broke the PSU record set in 2005. She also took 14th place in the 50 freestyle and her preliminary time of 22.82 is third best in PSU history and 0.07 seconds off the record set in 2007.
Also at the Big-10 champs, her 400 freestyle relay team (3:18:40) took third place and broke the PSU record (set last year) by more than 3 seconds. Her 200 freestyle relay team went 1:30:98 (5th place) to have the second fastest time in PSU history and she anchored the 800 freestyle relay team that went 7:11.02 to break the PSU record of 7:11:59 set in 2006. The 800 free team took fifth place at the championships.
DeForrest was also the recipient of the Sportsmanship Award for the PSU team. The award is given to the swimmer from each team who best exemplifies sportsmanship on the team while achieving excellence in the both the classroom and the pool.Overall, Penn State took third place in the Big-10 behind champion Indiana (1st) and runnerup Minnesota.

STARK:Phillies championship was worth the wait

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

While sportswriters never want to be perceived as naysayers (who us?), Philadelphia area scribes couldn’t help but notice how the national media portrayed the city and its fans last October both during and after the Phillies World Series victory.

While the rest of the country portrays us as nothing but ungrateful boobirds - we're the city that booed Santa Claus, after all - Philadelphia native and Newtown’s own Major League Baseball writer Jayson Stark has arrived with a new book “Worth The Wait: Tales of the Phillies 2008 Championship Season.”

Born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia, Stark says who but he to understand the disappointment that existed in the minds of Philly spectators, fans frustrated by 25 years of championship futility.

“I’ve lived here most of my life so I think I get it - I get the whole mindset here,” says Stark, senior baseball writer for ESPN.com. “I get why people boo and why they care, and how much they care.

“I get why they were so frustrated through that whole parade-free quarter century.”

Indeed, before the Phillies knocked off the Tampa Bay Rays in five (and-a-half) games last fall, the City of Brotherly Love had endured the longest championship drought of any American city that fields pro sports teams in all four majors.

When reliever Brad Lidge recorded his final save of the season, Stark looked around amazed after witnessing the seemingly unending exuberance displayed by millions in the Delaware Valley thrilled to finally experience a victory parade down Broad St. For many 20-somethings in the region, it was their first.

Stark, author of “The Stark Truth: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players in Baseball History” published two years ago, felt inspired to act as a spokesperson for frustrated Philly sports fans everywhere and tell it like it is.

“I just felt as though somebody needed to write a book that captured a special season and what it meant to all these people – not just the men who played the games, but the people in the seats whose lives changed because of what happened in those games.”

The title of the book is apropos, says Stark. And easy to compose, the outcome of one conference call to his editors at Triumph Books.

“I said, ‘How about “Worth The Wait?’ And they loved it—instantly,” said Stark reliving the experience.

“I just thought those three words captured the theme of the project.”

In Stark’s book, Phillies starter Jamie Moyer talks about how, when you wait a long time for something, it can make it much more meaningful when it actually happens.

“I think he was right,” Stark adds.

Stark is quick to point out that he’s a professional scribe first and foremost and would have revised his story had the World Series turned out favorably for the Florida team.

“I cover baseball for a living. I don’t root for any team. If the Rays had won that World Series, that would have been an amazing story, too, and I would have been happy to write it and tell it.”

But the plain truth is that Stark IS from Philly and as such was moved by the fans’ reaction to the culmination of the 25-year championship drought.

“It was very moving to me to see so many people I care about transformed in a way that no mere sporting event should be able to accomplish,” Stark stated. “And I love the buzz that has rippled through this whole area ever since.”

The response to “Worth the Wait” has been amazing, says Stark. He’s done several book-signings in the region where people lined up and purchased as many as six copies to give to their loved ones.

“People have told me over and over that I totally captured how they feel about the team, which is very rewarding,” says Stark.

“It’s almost as if Philadelphians NEEDED this book. They want this feeling to last."

After taking six months to compose “The Stark Truth” two years ago, the ESPN analyst says this tome came even quicker. A friend was teasing Stark recently, saying he went more than a quarter century as a pro baseball scribe without ever producing a book, and now he’s a regular John Grisham.

“I don’t know about that. But I do love the whole author part of my life,” says Stark, baseball beat writer, TV and radio analyst, blogger and author, twice over at this point.
***

Stark’s new book on the Phillies makes a great Mother's Day, Father's Day, and birthday gift (especially when personalized and signed by Jayson).
Sports fans and book lovers are invited to the Big Book Signing at Applebee's (2 West Rd., Newtown, Pa.) this Monday, April 27 from 5 to 9 p.m. Stark will be in attendance signing his new book “Worth the Wait, Tales of the 2008 Phillies.”
If you want to purchase a book, go to Jayson's sister Karen's frame shop - The Frame Game - to pre-order it. The Frame Game will give you a discount for pre-ordering.
You can reach Karen at (215) 860-8727 or go to 24 Richboro Rd. (the same shopping center as Dunkin Donuts). Tell her Lisa sent you.
Applebee's will have books on hand too. However, at the last book signing at Barnes and Noble, the tome was sold out before Jayson began signing.
For those who would like to eat at Applebee's, the restaurant is going to donate 10 percent of your dinner check to Athletes Helping Athletes.

Bucks County reaches Donofrio finale

“This is brand new territory for us,” stated Bucks County head coach Jim Kenny. “We’ve never been here before.”

Those were the words uttered by the man who has held the top post for the Bucks County all-stars for the past six years now. He said them after the local boys downed the Sonny Hill Juniors in double overtime in the Albert C. Donofrio Classic April 14 at Fellowship House in Conshohocken.

Earlier in the tourney, the boys from Bucks defeated Filly Sol, Don-Len, The Old School Cavs and the Sonny Hill Juniors before falling to the I-3 All-Stars April 15 in the finale.

The win over the Sonny Hill team took a pair of overtime sessions and took efforts from a couple of Pennsbury seniors to get to overtime.

Pennsbury senior Dalton Pepper led the way with 39 points, including a 3-point play he pulled off with the Bucks boys trailing by 5 points with less than a minute to play.

The West Virginia-bound Pepper finished off an end-to-end drive with a reverse layup then sank the ensuing free throw to draw his team within a pair.

Then, with only seconds left, Falcon junior Jesse Krasna tied the game at 78-all, sending it into its first overtime.

In overtime, Bucks was up by 3 points with 14 seconds to go when the Sonny Hill team hit a 3-pointer that sent the battle into a second extra session.

The locals finally outpaced Sonny Hill, 12-7, in the second OT to emerge with a 101-96 semifinal victory.

The area players included Pennsbury senior Eddie Dirugeris, Andrew Stress and Arron Goodman from Council Rock North and Neshaminy freshman Ryan Arcidiacono. Will Barrett and Greg Johnson represented CB South.
***
--Steve Sherman, Sports Editor

PENNSBURY:Pepper named MVP at Donofrio Classic

Pennsbury senior Dalton Pepper (right of center) was honored with the MVP Award April 15 at the conclusion of the Albert C. Donofrio basketball tournament. Pepper scored 39 points in a semifinal win before surpassing that total with 45 points scored in the championship.

The tourney takes place every year at The Fellowship House in Conshohocken. Pepper was part of the Bucks County all-stars, a team that's guided by CR North teacher Jim Kenny and consists of a bunch of locals from Pennsbury, Council Rock North and CB South, among some other area schools.

Bucks made it all the way to the finals after defeating the Sonny Hill Juniors in the semis and the Old School Cavs in the quarters. The I-3 All-Stars captured the top prize in the tourney, defeating the Bucks boys, 106-90.

Pepper and Norristown's Khalif Wyatt were bestowed with MVP trophies. Wyatt was named the winner of the Tony Samartino MVP Award while Pepper won the Art Andre MVP Award.

Pennsbury senior Eddie Dirugeris took the Little Big Man Award and Friends Central junior forward Dominic Morris won the Sportsmanship Award.

In all, there were 12 players bound for Division I schools playing in this tourney. Pepper is going to West Virginia. Dirugeris is headed for Philadelphia University. Wyatt has committed to Temple University.
***
--Steve Sherman, Sports Editor

PENNSBURY: Dirugeris the little big man

Pennsbury senior Eddie Dirugeris (right) was honored with The Little Big Man Award April 15 at the conclusion of the Albert C. Donofrio basketball tournament. Eddie scored at or near double figures in each game of the tourney.

The tourney takes place every year at The Fellowship House in Conshohocken. Dirugeris was part of the Bucks County all-stars, a team that's guided by CR North teacher Jim Kenny and consists of a bunch of locals from Pennsbury, Council Rock North and CB South, among some other area schools.

Bucks made it all the way to the finals after defeating the Sonny Hill Juniors in the semis and the Old School Cavs in the quarters. The I-3 All-Stars captured the top prize in the tourney, defeating the Bucks boys, 106-90.

Pennsbury standout Dalton Pepper and Norristown's Khalif Wyatt were bestowed with MVP trophies.

In all, there were 12 players bound for Division I schools. Pepper is going to West Virginia. Dirugeris is headed for Philadelphia University.

Dirugeris has followed in his father’s footsteps; Eddie Sr., who captured the tournament MVP trophy in 1975 as a Bensalem High senior, scoring 55 points in a single game.
***
- Steve Sherman, Sports Editor

Today on WBCB

WBCB 1490 AM and sister station WHWH 1350 AM continue their spring broadcast coverage this afternoon, giving you the play-by-play when the Hamilton baseball team hosts CVC rival Lawrence High School. The first pitch is to be delivered at 4 p.m. (weather permitting).
On Thursday, April 23, Pennsbury hosts Council Rock North in a softball game that can be heard on 'BCB - 1490 on the AM dial.
On Friday, WHWH picks it up by broadcasting the Notre Dame-Steinert baseball game, scheduled for 4 p.m. (The pre-game show is set for 3:15.)
On Saturday, cross-town rivals Hopewell Valley and Pennington do battle in baseball. The skirmish begins at 11 a.m. at Pennington.
To hear every pitch live, click here
For a list of local games being broadcast by 'BCB and sister station 1350AM WHWH, click here
***
This week on WBCB, WHWH
DAY *** OPPONENTS *** PRE-GAME *** GAME-TIME
Wed., Apr. 22 Lawrence @ Hamilton-1350 3:45 p.m. 4 p.m.
Thu., Apr. 23 C.R. North @ Pennsbury (softball) 3:15 p.m. 3:30 p.m.
Fri., Apr. 24 Notre Dame @ Steinert-1350 3:45 p.m. 4 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 25 Hopewell Valley @ Pennington-1350 10:45 a.m. 11 a.m.

HOPEWELL VALLEY:Rutledge getting ready

University of North Carolina junior Meredith Rutledge is getting ready to compete in the Penn Relays on Thursday. Meredith is a javelin thrower for the Seahawks.
If you recall, Rutledge, a 2006 graduate of Hopewell Valley Central, was a standout in both basketball and soccer. But she blew her right knee out on the basketball court as a HoVal junior and could no longer step back onto the hardwood.
HoVal girls track&field coach Aaron Olfield introduced Rutledge to the javelin and she's been throwing ever since.
Rutledge went on to compete in the Relays first as a Hopewell Valley junior. She's coming back to Franklin Field on Thursday and will compete in the javelin some time between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
In previous NCAA competition, Rutledge finished fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships in 2008 while posting a fifth-place finish at the 2007 CAA Championships. Her personal best in the javelin is 131 feet, 5 inches.
* Event: Javelin
* PR: 131-5
* Finished fourth at CAA Championships in 2008.
* Posted fifth-place finish at 2007 CAA Championships.

PENNSBURY:Falcons fall to the Whippets

On April 18, a beautiful day for lacrosse, the Downingtown West Whippets hosted the Pennsbury Falcons in the first ever meeting between the two teams.

D-West came out strong in the first quarter with midfielder Mike Moore getting a shot rebound and feeding attackman Joe Paparo for the game's first goal two minutes in.

Three minutes later, D-West attackman Ryan Higgins scooped up a ground ball and zipped a shot past Pennsbury goalie David Cutler for a 2-0 Whippet lead.

Meanwhile D-West goalie Dustin Keen was turning back numerous Falcon shots until four minutes into the second quarter when, on a man up opportunity, Falcon midfielder Shawn Caven ripped a hard pass to attackman Peter Sweetland on the doorstep, who double-faked and buried the shot into the back of the net.

The teams traded possessions for the rest of the quarter and the half ended with Downingtown West in the lead by a 2-1 margin.

The third quarter opened up with the same defensive struggle as the first half, with both teams trading possessions until seven minutes into the second half when the scoring floodgates opened for the Whippets.

First, D-West attackman Eric Sander fed fellow attackman Ryan Higgins for an extra man opportunity goal. Then two minutes later, Brad Shenberger triple-deked a shot into the net, with the assist by Mike Moore for a 4-1 D-West lead.

With less than a minutes left in the third stanza, Whippet Ryan Higgins took advantage of another man up opportunity and nailed in shot, with the assist by Eric Sanders.

Downingtown West picked up where they left off at the start of the last period, when D-West controlled the face-off and ran a fast break, with Mike Moore getting the goal twelve seconds into the quarter, with the assist by Ryan Higgins for the 6-1 Whippet lead.

But the Falcons refused to quit and began their own scoring surge. With a Whippet defenseman in the box, Falcon attackman Peter Sweetland found Shawn Caven on the crease for a quick put-in, cutting the lead to 6-2.

D-West answered back at the eight minute mark when Eric Sander bounced in a shot on an extra man opportunity to extend the lead to 7-2.

But the Falcons again answered with their own man-up goal a minute later when Shawn Caven dove into a scrum in front of the Whippet goalie following a rebound from a shot, came out with the ball and ripped a rifle shot past the D-West goalie.

The Falcons won the ensuing face-off and again Shawn Caven got the ground ball close by the crease and nailed another goal to bring the score to 7-4 with six minutes remaining in the game.

D-West clawed back with a forced turnover recovery and Eric Sanders dodged from behind the crease and zipped a turnaround shot into the upper right corner for a 8-4 Whippet lead.

Pennsbury continued to battle back, with Peter Sweetland dodging from behind and feeding Shawn Caven with a cross-crease pass and the quick put in making it 8-5 Whippets with a minute to go.

With D-West controlling the faceoff, the Falcons put their goalie David Cutler into the defense and left the net empty to allow them to double the ball.

The tactic worked and defenseman Ryan Brim stripped the ball and sent an outlet pass to midfielder Ricky Jutkiewicz, who went coast to coast and rocketed the ball past Whippet goalie Keen for the goal and a 8-6 score.

With 15 seconds left on the clock and a man-up opportunity for the Falcons, the Whippets Mike Goodrich stepped up for the home team and won the face-off to give D-West possession. The clock expired as David Cutler saved an Eric Sanders shot.

Pennsbury is now 6-5 overall and remains 4-0 in the Suburban One National conference, while the Downingtown West Whippets are 6-3 on the year and 2-2 in the Ches-Mont League.
***
Box Score
Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Pennsbury 0 1 0 5 6
Downingtown West 2 0 3 3 8
(April 18 at Downingtown-West)

Goals:
Pennsbury - 6; Shawn Caven 4; Peter Sweetland 1; Ricky Jutkiewicz 1.
Downingtown West - 8; Ryan Higgins 3; Eric Sanders 2; Mike Moore 1; Joe Paparo 1; Brad Shenberger 1.
Assists:
Pennsbury - 3; Peter Sweetland 2; Shawn Caven 1.
Downingtown West - 5; Mike Moore 2; Eric Sanders 2; Ryan Higgins 1.
Shots:
Pennsbury 27, Downingtown West 29
Saves:
David Cutler (Pennsbury) 6, Jdustin Keen (Downingtown West) 10
Record:
Pennsbury - 6-5 overall and 4-0 in the Suburban One National conference
Downingtown West - 6-3 overall and 2-2 in the ChesMont League.

THY swimmers shatter records at nationals

Tri-Hampton Y posted its best ever performance recently at the YMCA National Short Course Swimming Championships placing 14th competing against some 250 teams from across the U.S.

The Tri-Hampton YMCA Swimming Team posted their best ever performance recently at the YMCA National Short Course Swimming Championships.
Competing against more than 1,650 athletes representing more than 250 teams from around the nation at this year’s championships April 6 through 9 at the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale, THY finished in 14th place (second among Pennsylvania teams) in a record-shattering performance. In the process, THY qualified 16 swimmers and seven relays for Y Nationals this spring.
The THY participants were Madeline Barlow, Courtney Beidler, Kate Dillione, Maggie Dillione, Tommie Dillione, Tori Hall, Lexi Houser, Nick Johnson, Kendall Kirsteier, Dylan Ludwick, Kylie McKenzie, Alex Naglich, Chris Pitler, Shane Mckenzie, Jeff Sloan and James Sturner. Every swimmer had at least one lifetime best and most had multiple lifetime best swims.
Nick Johnson was a multiple medalist, coming in third in the 100 free (team record - 45.03), fourth in the 100 back (team record - 50.00), fourth in the 50 free (20.83) and sixth in the 100 fly (50.37).
Johnson’s 100 free, 50 free and 100 back times were all USA Swimming Junior National Qualifying times.
Courtney Beidler also was a multiple medalist, scoring in the 500 free – ninth (team record - 4:48.10); 400 IM – 9th (team record- 4:17.31); 1000 free – ninth (10:03.29); and 200 fly – 12th (team record - 2:02.87). Her 500 free, 1,000 free and 400 IM were all USA Swimming Junior National qualifying times and her 400 IM was a United States Open Swimming Championships qualifying time.
THY had three women’s relays take the medal stand after besting team records. The women’s 800 free relay of Kate Dillione, Tommie Dillione, Alexis Houser and Courtney Beidler came in seventh place in a 7:36.45.
The women’s 200 free relay of Kate Dillione, Kendall Kirsteier, Courtney Beidler and Alexis Houser came in 11th place (1:37.15).
The women’s 400 free relay of Alexis Houser, Tommie Dillione, Maggie Dillione & Beidler came in 13th place (3:32.25).
Also setting new team records were Madeline Barlow in the open 200 IM (2:08.15) and open 200 back (2:06.87); Tori Hall open 50 back (28.15), James Sturner open 200 breast (2:11.74); Kate Dillione 15/16 200 fly (2:08.11), Tommie Dillione 13/14 200 fly (2:12.37) & 200 IM (2:13.54) and Alex Naglich 15/16 1000 free (9:46.98).
The girls 200 medley relay of Hall, Kylie McKenzie, Barlow & Houser set a new team record of 1:49.75. The girls 400 medley relay of Hall, McKenzie, Barlow and Beidler set a new team record of 3:57.03.
Senior twins Alexis and Alyssa Houser inspired the crowd with a stirring devotional and assistant coach Nicole Glace performed the National Anthem prior to Wednesday evening finals.
THY now begins prepping for YMCA Long Course Nationals the last week in July. Interested parties should contact Dave Prutow at dprutow@verizon.net
or visit the organization’s Web site at http://swimthy.worldswim.net.

Yardley runner cuts three hours in Boston

Justin Veisz, 26, of Yardley, posted an astoundingly quick time earlier today in the Boston Marathon, completing the 26.2-mile course in a little over two hours and 45 minutes.

Justin’s official time of 2:46:38 placed him 327th overall. He was just the 310th male runner to cross the finish line. Veisz’s time at the halfway point of the famous Bean Town race was 1:20:45.

Deriba Merga, 28, of Ethopia, won the 105th running of the race in 2:08:42.

Merga won this year’s Houston Marathon and finished fourth in the event in last summer’s Olympics but failed to finish the Boston race just three years ago.
***
- Steve Sherman, Sports Editor

PENNSBURY:Schilling comes to the rescue

By RICK FORTENBAUGH
For Buckslocalsports.com

BRISTOL TWP., Pa. — Never play a hand of poker against veteran Pennsbury High school softball coach Frank McSherry.
After all, even when his strategy backfires he’ll probably still pull an inside straight when the last card is turned over.
Such was largely the case Friday when Pennsbury remained undefeated with a 5-3 Suburban One National League victory over Truman.
At the start of the game, McSherry elected to throw his No. 2 pitcher. This appeared to be major trouble when she walked the first four Truman batters.
Incredibly, however, Truman didn’t score because the first batter who walked was thrown out trying to steal second.
Still, with the bases loaded and just one out, McSherry decided it was time to summon No. 1 pitcher Kait Schilling to the circle. The junior righty responded magnificently with two strikeouts to get out of the jam and the game had decidedly turned in Pennsbury’s favor.
“It was a little bit of a hunch, but we need two throwers," replied McSherry when asked why he didn’t start Schilling.
“I thought Kait did a great job. She came in in a pressure situation and handled it."
Schilling would go onto finish with a five-hitter and wasn’t scored upon until the sixth when Tina Coffman singled and came home on Nichole King’s ground ball.
Truman also scored twice in the bottom of the seventh when Ashley Black hit a two-run bullet over the left-field fence, but by that time Pennsbury was working with a very comfortable margin.
Truman junior ace Rachael Alligood was not at her best Friday and was forced into one deep count after another. The end result was five Pennsbury runs on nine hits.
While the Falcons didn’t exactly rip the ball, they did do a good job of putting the ball in play and struck out only six times against the hard-throwing Alligood.
Brooke Downs had the biggest day for the opportunistic Falcons. In the second inning she helped put her team on the board with a one-hop double off the left-field fence. Downs also had an RBI single in the seventh when Pennsbury tacked on two more runs.
The middle of the Pennsbury order also produced with Kirby Groves and Rebecca Erb each collecting two hits. Groves singled in a run in the fourth.
“I thought our defense played great," said McSherry of an errorless effort. “I also like the way we battled at the plate. Alyssa Shirley set the tone right away."
In the top of the first, Shirley had a long at bat that included at least six foul balls and led to an infield single. Shirley didn’t score, but it was obvious Pennsbury was really going to make Alligood work.
All in all it was a good day for Pennsbury, which came in undefeated, but hadn’t exactly faced strong pitching to date.
“It was our first big test," said McSherry. “Rachael is a very good pitcher and we were able to have some good at bats against her."
***
FALCON FODDER: Pennsbury will make up a postponed game this morning at home against Council Rock South. McSherry is still waiting to hear if the team will have administration approval to play in the Mt. St. Dominic Tourney on a Sunday. The rained-out Conwell-Egan game will be played on a Saturday night in May.

Pennsbury (5-0) 011 010 2 - 5 9 0
Truman (4-3) 000 001 2 - 3 5 2

WP-Schilling. LP-Alligood. 2B-Downs (P). HR-Black (T). RBIs: P-Groves, Downs. T-King, Black 2.

BRISTOL:Lady Warriors are swinging the bats

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

The girls who take the field for the Bristol softball team were outscored 3-1 on opening day against Quad-A rival Neshaminy. Since then, the Lady Warriors have turned that stat on its head, outscoring their next four opponents, 50-2.
Bristol got the bats uncorked in game two with doubles by seniors Jen Jaeger and Nicole Adamson and another by sophomore Ashley Cantiello. Senior outfielder Kelee Pinto added 3 RBIs in a game that saw the Warriors up 5-2 before adding four runs in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh.
The final: Bristol 11, Lower Moreland 2.
The Warriors easily won its second game with sophomore righthander Kiersten Cain cranking out a one-hitter and striking out nine batters in four innings.
Second baseman Amanda Spadaccino went 2-for-2 with a triple and two RBIs. Cain was 2-for-2 herself and doubled.
Also smacking triples for the Warriors were Pinto and sophomore Amanda Weir. It all added up to a 15-0 victory March 31 at New Hope-Solebury.
On April 8 at Cheltenham, Bristol got another big game from Cain, who pitched a one-hitter, struck out 10, blasted two home runs and knocked in four runs in a 5-inning game shortened by the mercy rule. The Warriors went on to a 14-0 win over the Panthers.
Bristol got things started off in the right direction early with 4 runs in the top of the first. With a baserunner aboard, Cain hit a 2-run shot to leftfield that is still going. Cain homered again in the second, this one a single shot. Adamson followed with a solo homer of her own to left.
The Warriors pushed two more runners across the plate in the third and 6 more in the fifth. All told, Bristol pounded out 14 hits.
Head coach Mike Lalli says his team is just taking advantage of its opportunities.
“We ARE swinging the bats very well and we’re taking advantage of the other team,” stated Lalli. “If they make a mistake, we take advantage of it.”
“The scores are big but a lot of that has to do with the fact that we’re not giving up any runs either.
But it’s more than that, says the coach.
“Three of those [wins] were shutouts so that makes the scores seem that much larger.
“That’s a credit to the defense and the pitching.
It’s also not bad when you consider the Warriors came into the season not knowing who would fill positions vacated in the circle and at shortstop by the now departed Shawna Walp and Sam Hornberger. Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) First Teamers in 2008, both are now playing ball at King’s College in Wilkesbarre.
If you remember, in last year’s district championship, Walp pitched a complete game, striking out 9 batters while surrendering only two hits to help the Warriors to a 5-1 title-winning triumph over Chris Dock.
The nine Pioneer batters she fanned gave Shawna 400 strikeouts for her high school career. Offensively, Walp went 3-for-4 at the plate, recording her 100th hit of her high school career on an infield single in the bottom of the 6th inning.
When the season ended, Shawna was selected as the BAL Softball Player of the Year.
“There was concern when Shawna graduated but Kiersten has really been able to fill the void,” stated Lalli. “She’s has four pitches and she throws them all for strikes.”
While Cain has shown she is quite able to take on the majority of the pitching duties, no man, or woman for that matter, is an island. Next week, Bristol has battles at home against Villa, MaST Charter, and Chris Dock, and one the road at Plumstead Christian.
So infielder Ashley Cantiello will have to contribute to the Warriors’ pitching chores.
Bristol has a pair of games this weekend in the William Tennent Softball Invitational. The Warriors are pitted against the host team and Bensalem tomorrow and have four games next week against their BAL rivals.
While keeping the players fresh might be cause for concern, Lalli says he’s not worried how his team stacks up against its SOL National counterparts.
“I think we can do well; I think we can play with any team in the area,” stated the coach.
“We have pretty strong pitching. Our defense is not exactly where I want it to be but it’s still pretty good.
Also consider the fact that injuries to Adamson and Dougherty have limited the role both players have filled thus far. While she has seen some playing time, Adamson is still nursing a sore shoulder that has limited her time behind the plate.
Coach says he’s working Nicole back into the lineup, albeit gingerly.
“She’s getting there. She’s still not able to throw very much. She can swing, she’s just not physically able to do a lot of throwing.”
While Adamson has been out, freshman Kaley Crohe has filled in admirably for the senior.
“She’s a freshman so she has a lot to learn about playing on this level but she’s doing well,” stated Lalli. “I look forward to her doing much better than she’s even doing for us right now.”
The coach had plans to get Adamson some work in the Warriors’ April 16 battle against Calvary Christian.
“If someone tries to steal, we’ll have to tell her to let them go,” said Lalli. “But, we’ve been pretty good with keeping people off the bases, so hopefully that won’t come up too much.”
Calvary had just one hit in the game, a single and Bristol tagged the opposition for 7 runs in the first inning on its way to a 10-0 win in five innings.
Currently, no one seems to be able to keep the Lady Warriors off the base paths or cork the Bristol bats. Lalli and company hope it’s a trend that continues.

Stark at Applebee’s

Sports fans and book lovers are invited to the Big Book Signing at Applebee's on Monday, April 27 from 5 to 9 p.m.
Senior ESPN.com and ESPN magazine baseball writer Jayson Stark will be in attendance signing his new book “Worth the Wait, Tales of the 2008 Phillies.”
If you want to purchase a book, go to Jayson's sister Karen's frame shop--The Frame Game--to pre-order it. The Frame Game will give you a discount for pre-ordering.
You can reach Karen at 215-860-8727 or go to 24 Richboro Rd. (the same shopping center as Dunkin Donuts). Tell her Lisa sent you.
Stark’s new book on the Phillies makes a great Mother's Day, Father's Day, and birthday gift (especially when personalized and signed by Jayson).
Applebee's will have books on hand too. However, at the last book signing at Barnes and Noble, the tome was sold out before Jayson began signing.
For those who would like to eat at Applebees, the restaurant is going to donate 10 percent of your dinner check to Athletes Helping Athletes.

Today on WBCB

WBCB 1490AM continues its spring broadcast coverage this afternnon, giving you the play-by-play when Pennsbury hosts SOL National Conference rival Harry S Truman High School. The first pitch is to be delivered at 3:30 p.m.
At the same time, the Hopewell Valley versus Nottingham baseball game can be heard at WHWH - 1350 on the AM dial.
On Saturday, 'BCB picks it up by broadcasting the Hopewell Valley versus Pennsbury baseball game. The cross-state rivals begin the battle at 11 a.m. in Pennington.
To hear every pitch live, click here
For a list of local games being broadcast by 'BCB and sister station 1350AM WHWH, click here

PENNSBURY:Falcons untested yet in the SOL

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

Last season at Pennsbury, nearly a dozen seniors who were coming off a state championship season took the field for the Lady Falcons. Naturally, expectations were high.
So when SOL national champion Pennsbury was ousted from districts in a second-round pairing with Upper Darby, the Falcons were devastated.
“It was heartbreaking,” senior Alyssa Becker explained. “We were all just devastated--we all wanted it so bad.”
While the bar always seems to be set high for the orange and black, the jury is still out on this year’s Pennsbury softball team.
Despite the mass exodus, Becker says the Falcons’ hopes are set high.
“I think [the bar] is still set pretty high even though we didn’t make it that far last year,” she said. “I think people look at it like it’s a newer team, so maybe the outcome will be different this year.
“We want it to be better and we think it will be.”
That group of seniors--which numbered 11--has since graduated leaving head coach Frank McSherry and staff a slew of holes to fill, with the number one void in the circle.
In addition to outgoing pitcher Jenna Berger, shortstop Nikki Cognigni, third baseman Jess Rhodunda, outfielder Dani Straub, second baseman Lauren June, and catcher Steph Morrison have all left for greener pastures.
The good news is that righthander Kait Schilling is filling in admirably for Berger, now pitching--and doing well for--Mercer County Community College (she’s 15-0 last we checked).
Still, there are others with varsity experience playing their first season at a new post. One such player is senior Lauren Rossi who has taken Cognigni’s spot at short. Senior Brooke Downs has taken Morrison’s post behind the plate. Leadoff hitter D’Anna Devine has jumped from centerfield to second base. Junior Rebecca Erb has taken up Rhodunda’s spot on the hot corner. And junior Sarah Gosselin is seeing time in centerfield.
The Falcons kicked off the season with a non-league victory over Interboro before adding a trio of SOL National triumphs over Council Rock North, Bensalem and William Tennent.
In the win over Interboro, Schilling scattered eight hits and struck out five.
All the Pennsbury scoring came in the bottom of the fifth. After a single by Devine, an error and walk to Lauren Rossi, cleanup hitter Kirby Groves came up clutch with a two-run single. Rebecca Erb also doubled for the Falcons.
Rossi is batting in the three spot with Groves hitting cleanup. In addition to supplying a lot of power at the top of the order, the two captains provide a lot of leadership.
“They know how to handle us,” explained Becker. “They’ve been on varsity since freshman year so they know what [coach] McSherry expects.”
Pennsbury easily improved to 2-0 with a 7-1 road win over the Rock. Schilling pitched a two-hitter and struck out three for her second victory of the season.
Groves doubled, knocked in two runs and had two hits along with Devine and Kelsey Bunda, who made her first varsity appearance at the plate.
Chelsea Reynolds also doubled for the Falcons.
Two more triumphs over SOL National rivals ensued. Both were lopsided affairs with a 12-2 win over the Owls and a 14-4 victory over the Panthers. So the question that comes first to mind, “is this team good enough to get back to states?”
“That remains to be seen,” stated McSherry at a recent practice. “We lost a lot of seniors so we do have a lot of varsity inexperience.
“But we also have a quality nucleus so the hope is that those kids will drive the newcomers.”
The Mount St. Dominic Invitational slated for April 10 in North Jersey might have been an indicator of where this team stood in comparison to the area softball powers.
Red Bank Catholic, Toms River East and St. John Vianney, the numbers 1, 2 and 4 teams at the shore, were scheduled to attend, as well as the host and Delaware softball power Caravel Academy.
“That would have given us an idea of what we were made of,” said McSherry. “Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate.”
The tourney has been reset for Sunday May 3.
As of tax day--April 15--Becker doesn’t believe the Falcons have been truly tested either.
“Every game we’ve come out strong but I don’t think we’ve really been tested yet,” she said.
But Pennsbury has come to every game ready to do battle. Becker cites the team’s April 8 home pairing with Tennent as an example of such. The Panthers got out of the gate quickly when pitcher Ashley Alden tagged Schilling for a first-inning homer.
But the Falcons didn’t quiver over the solo shot, says Becker.
“We came back from that and we jumped on them,” she stated.
Jumped on them, yes--to the tune of eight runs in the home half of the frame.
Erb slammed two doubles and knocked in three runs. Groves doubled and drove in three runs. Devine (3 RBIs) and Lauren Rossi tripled and Pennsbury went on to a 14-4 triumph over Tennent.
The Falcons will surely get a test today when they take on the newly revitalized Truman softball team which until yesterday at Neshaminy was also unbeaten in the SOL National conference. Becker says the Tigers will be gunning for the orange and black.
“I know they want to beat us really bad,” she said. “A couple of girls have said it.”
How Pennsbury stacks up against HST hurler Rachael Alligood--who stifled the Redskins through six shutout innings--and Neshaminy’s Sarah McGowan--who struck out 16 Truman hitters--remains to be seen.
***
The Falcons’ annual pairing with Philly Catholic League rival Conwell-Egan, originally set for April 6, has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 9 at the Lower Makefield baseball/ softball complex on the field behind LMT pool.

CR SOUTH:Bea low man for St. Joe's

The Saint Joseph’s golf team climbed three spots in the final round of the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate recently to finish 13th in its first tournament of the Spring.

The Hawks carded a final-round 309 at the par-72, 6,828-yard course to jump from 16th after Monday’s first two rounds, to finish 13th overall in the 16-team field.

Saint Joseph’s posted a three-round score of 332-331-309/972, while tournament-winner South Carolina-Aiken finished with a score of 897.

Individually, freshman Jimmy Bea, a Council Rock High School South graduate from Southampton, carded a final-round 76 and finished with a three-round score of 81-84-76/241.

Sophomore Josh Webb finished three-strokes behind Bea with a score of 86-86-72/244, while junior Zach Smith a Central Bucks West alum from Doylestown, and sophomore Erik Mitchell each tied at 250 with scores of 81-85-84/250 and 90-83-77/250, respectively.

Senior Steve Hudacek rounded-out the five-man squad with a score of 84-79-90/253.

NESHAMINY:Wrublesky, SJU honored by NFHCA

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) announced its 2008 National Academic Squad recently 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.

Bucks makes way to Donofrio finale

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

“This is brand new territory for us,” stated Bucks County head coach Jim Kenny. “We’ve never been here before.”
Those were the words uttered by the man who has guided the Bucks County all-stars for the past six years now. He said them after the local boys downed the Sonny Hill Juniors in double overtime April 14 in the Albert C. Donofrio Classic.
Before this, the furthest Kenny took the Bucks County boys was the semifinals. But that's where the road ended for the 2004 area all-stars.
Pennsbury senior Dalton Pepper led the way with 39 points including a 3-point play he pulled off with the Bucks boys trailing by 5 points with less than a minute to play. The West Virginia-bound Pepper finished off an end-to-end drive with a reverse layup then sank the ensuing free throw to draw his team within a pair.
Then with only seconds left, Falcon junior Jesse Krasna tied the game at 78-all, sending it into overtime.
“We were down by 5 [points] with less than a minute to go and we had to do something,” stated Kenny. “We went with the Pennsbury backcourt--that’s what got us here; you have to go with what works.”
In overtime, Bucks was up by 3 points with 14 seconds to go when the Sonny Hill team hit a 3-pointer that sent the battle into a second extra session.
The locals finally outpaced Sonny Hill, 12-7, in the second OT to emerge with a 101-96 semifinal victory and advance to Wednesday night’s championship battle with the A-I all-stars, a team led by Norristown standout Kalif Wyatt.
Against Sunny Hill in the semis, Pepper wasn’t the only player putting the pill into the box. CB South senior Will Barrett did his part, scoring 22 points. Germantown Academy forward added 17 points together with 16 rebounds.
Philadelphia University-bound Eddie Dirugeris put 10 points into the bucket. Krasna added 7. Neshaminy freshman Ryan Arcidiacono contributed with a bucket of his own. CR North’s Andrew Stress was 1-for-2 from the foul line. And Greg Johnston added 3 points to the Bucks County team’s cause.
Savon Goodman, an 11th-grader from Academy of the New Church, led the scoring effort for Sonny Hill with 29 points. Devonte Newbill, a 6-4 guard from Strawberry Mansion High, hit for 27. Brandon Brown, a 6-3 forward from Cardinal Dougherty put 16 points into the bucket. North Catholic’s Xavier Harris was next with 13 points.
##

Bucks County 101, Sonny Hill Juniors 96
Bucks County 40 38 11 12 – 101
Sonny Hill Juniors 34 44 11 7 - 96
Bucks County
Dalton Pepper 15 5-7 39; Ed DiRugeris 3 4-7 10; Will Barrett 7 7-9 22; Jeff Holton 6 5-9 17; Greg Johnston 1 1-2 3; Jesse Krasna 2 0-0 7; Duffy Barrett 0 0-0 0; Ryan Arcidiacono 1 0-0 2; Andrew Stress 0 1-2 1. Totals 35 25-38 101.
Sonny Hill Juniors
Devonte Newbill 12 2-5 27; Xavier Harris 6 1-4 13; Saadia Berry 2 0-0 5; Mustafa Jones 2 0-0 5; Savon Goodman 13 3-8 29; Isiah Baker 0 0-0 0; Brandon Brown 6 4-6 16; Mark Houston 0 0-0 0; Jerrod Johnson 1 0-0 2. Totals 41 10-23 96
***
3-point goals: SHJ- Newbill, Jones; BC- Pepper 4, Barrett, Johnston