Emptying 81 months of notebooks and flipping through the personal archives produces numerous memories.

Here are a few worth sharing:

The performers

Quentin Wright, Steve Bosak and Mitchell Port

Wright dazzled with creative moves and never lost as a high school junior or senior. He won an NCAA title in 2011. He might be primed to win one again this season for Penn State.

Bosak never won a PIAA Class AAA title during his State College career. Yet he will always be remembered for politely answering questions following both of his state title bout losses. Bosak‘s perseverance was rewarded last March, when he defeated Wright to capture the NCAA 184-pound title. He’s scheduled to receive an even bigger prize soon — a Cornell degree.

The quiet and humble Port broke Bellefonte’s 19-year PIAA wrestling title drought with a dominant run through the 2010 PIAA Class AAA Championships. He has settled at Edinboro, where he has quickly emerged into a national title contender at 141 pounds.

State College linebackers

Gritty players such as Chance Gaines, Luc Yocum, Jeff Moyer, Brad Holzwarth, Shane Dorner and Matt Baney helped transform State College into a PIAA Class AAAA football playoff regular.

Gaines seemingly made every tackle for the 2007 and ‘08 Little Lions, the ultra-intense Yocum often pounded his own helmet before games, Moyer and Holzwarth were key parts of a team that reached the 2009 state final and Dorner and Baney never missed an assignment.

No member of the group earned a Division I-A scholarship. But it would have been hard imagining State College’s coaches swapping the players for a group of four- or five-star prospects.

Matt Adams

Playing through numerous injuries, Adams dominated Central Penn League competition, hitting .424 as a junior and .544 as a senior at Philipsburg-Osceola.

In one of the biggest recruiting blunders in Penn State history, baseball coach Robbie Wine never seriously pursued Adams, who flourished at Division II Slippery Rock. The St. Louis Cardinals selected Adams in the 23rd round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft and he reached the big leagues last season.

Tremendous minor-league numbers, a smooth swing and improved physique suggest Adams might be primed for a lengthy major-league career. Adams still spends most of his winter at home, helping young players and making frequent appearances at P-O sporting events.

Phil Davis

One of the best recruiting finds in Penn State wrestling history, Davis, a Harrisburg native, joined the program with little fanfare. He left school as a charismatic four-time All-American and an NCAA champ.

After winning the NCAA 197-pound title in 2008, Davis ripped off his singlet and cried in the bowels of St. Louis’ Scottrade Center. He has parlayed his wrestling background and a brawler mentality into MMA success.

Those who know Davis weren’t surprised when Sprite selected him to appear in a national advertising campaign.

Justin Taylor

Three-sport athletes are becoming the next endangered species. Taylor, a 2011 BEA graduate, played football, basketball and baseball with zest.

Baseball was Taylor’s best sport. His most unforgettable performance was a 160-pitch outing as a high school senior. Yes, the above total is accurate. Anybody who sat behind the backstop that spring afternoon clutches their elbow when reviewing Taylor’s feat.

It took some time, but Taylor recovered from the heavy usage. He’s now a key part of the rotation at Division II California (Pa.).

The leaders

Terry Glunt

A cross country coach in the fall, a basketball coach in the winter, Glunt fills notebooks with his entertaining thoughts.

More importantly, he has made running long distances and playing basketball at Penns Valley fulfilling experiences. His cross country teams are among the district’s best despite small rosters. His basketball teams are among the district’s most disciplined and successful.

Denny Leathers

Leathers led Bellefonte’s baseball program for 30 years. He retired following the 2011 season. Think about that for a moment. In this era of increasing demands, Leathers lasted more than three decades at his alma mater.

Philosophical after victories and defeats, Leathers represented one of the most respected figures in Centre County sports. A former minor-league pitcher, he even tossed batting practice until the end of his coaching career.

Rob Koll

The State College graduate has built Cornell into one of the nation’s top Division I wrestling programs. He’s also having fun in the process.

Koll‘s words enlighten rooms. His program’s marketing is savvy. His wrestlers always peak in March, when the stakes are the highest. Donors cut generous checks to aid wrestling endeavors in upstate New York.

At one point, it appeared he might follow his father, Bill, and become Penn State’s head coach. But Koll might be destined to end his career in scenic Ithaca, N.Y.

Jason Dambach

The State College Spikes general manager ranks as one of the most articulate, polite, thoughtful and honest sports executives.

His work has helped the Spikes raise their profile in central Pennsylvania despite Pittsburgh Pirates-inflicted awful baseball. For those unaware of baseball’s workings, a minor-league franchise has no control of their players. The responsibility falls on the parent club.

Dambach made a gutsy move before the 2012 season by publicly challenging the Pirates to give the Spikes a better product. Following the season, Spikes managing partner Chuck Greenberg and Dambach ditched the Pirates for the St. Louis Cardinals. The move will likely lead to better baseball in State College.

Dambach, a former broadcaster with a big-league work ethic and voice, has a bright future in the industry. State College is fortunate to have him.

Mike Maney

A two-time All-American at Lock Haven University, Maney entered coaching before he turned 30 and has raised expectations for Bellefonte’s wrestling program, producing 10 state medalists in his first four years as head coach. Maney pits his team against all-comers, often sacrificing regular-season accolades to ensure the Red Raiders are postseason ready.

Maney also acts as a guardian for Bellefonte and county wrestling history. He’s a BEA graduate who started his coaching career at P-O.

Phone interviews with Maney are always interesting. They begin with wrestling conversations and eventually shift to his pursuits as a history teacher. His work will have a lasting impact on Bellefonte students and wrestlers.

Al Wolski

Coaching at State College is a challenge. Some parents think they know more than the coach. Others view a son or daughter with minimal talent as a Division I prospect.

Wolski carefully handles all aspects of the school’s football program while producing consistent winners. He has won 82 games since arriving from Reading High School in 2004.

Unlike some nettlesome leaders, Wolski trusts his assistants, one reason why his staff rarely changes.

Wolski’s former players fill college rosters. More than 30 State College alums played college football last fall.

The events

PIAA Wrestling Championships

Easily the best event in Pennsylvania high school athletics. Every year includes incredible triumphs, so picking one tournament over another serves no purpose.

Camaraderie separates the state wrestling tournament from other events. Anybody who has followed one postseason understands the feeling in Hershey can’t be replicated.

2009 PIAA Class AAAA Football Final

La Salle College dumped State College 24-7. And the snow dumped on Hershey. In fact, it never stopped, creating a memorable setting yet travel nightmare.

The Little Lions were the first Centre County team to participate in a PIAA football final.

Expect better weather to greet the next county team to play football in Hershey.

2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships

Penn State ended a puzzling skid by capturing its first team title since 1953. The skid entered the puzzling realm because of Penn State’s vast resources and its location in the middle of wrestling-rich state.

The Nittany Lions prevailed on friendly turf. The tournament was contested in Philadelphia.

State College Spikes 2006 opener

Beautiful summer night. New ballpark. The beginning of the State College Spikes-Williamsport Crosscutters rivalry. The first game in franchise history.

Consider it the most spectacular event in 81 memory-filled months.

Guy Cipriano can be followed on Twitter @cdtguy.