HS Roundup: BEA’s Jaden Jones hits 1,000 points, St. Joe’s Zack Witmer & Caleb Dowling earn historic wins

Here’s what happened in Centre County high school sports from Jan. 20-26:

Wrestling

St. Joe’s crowns 3 champs; Witmer & Dowling earn historic wins

St. Joe’s had a successful weekend wrestling at the Ultimate Warrior tournament at West Branch, going 3-for-4 in the finals and placing seventh out of 34 teams.

Zack Witmer (138 pounds), Caleb Dowling (152) and Keegan Rothrock (160) each won titles for the Wolves, while Tyler Stoltzfus finished runner-up at 170 pounds. The Wolves could have had a fifth finalist, but fourth-seeded Amonn Ohl at 132 pounds injured his ankle on Friday and defaulted out.

Witmer’s 10-0 major decision over Shippensburg’s Dom Fronteno in the finals marked the 100th win of his career.

“It’s pretty special. It’s always one of those great moments in a wrestlers career, 100 wins. It’s nice to get it as a junior,” Witmer told the CDT. “This is the last tournament before districts, so it’s nice to end on a good note in the finals.”

Dowling, a senior, also hit a career milestone with his 150th win — a hard-fought 7-5 win over Daniel Yetsick, of Ambridge, in the finals.

Rothrock won his championship with a 5-0 shutout of Clearfield’s Mark McGonigal.

BEA’s McClenahan wins Ultimate Warrior

The Eagles came away from the Ultimate Warrior tournament this past weekend with five placewinners — including a champ in 145-pound senior Gage McClenahan — to place sixth overall.

Also placing for BEA were Coen Bainey (second at 106), Jeffre Pifer (fifth at 113), Cooper Gilham (fifth at 120) and David Close (fourth at 220).

“Overall, we had a decent weekend. Five placewinners is not bad, but we want to get better. I thought we could have had a few more,” BEA coach Ron Guenot told the CDT. “We didn’t get that. To come here and finish sixth out of 34 teams is pretty good. This is definitely a good preparation for the postseason.”

The Eagles also added a dual win last week, 53-18 over Juniata High School on Tuesday.

Isaac Packer (132), McClenahan, Drew Koleno (152), Noah Foltz (160) and Close recorded pins in the dual. Bainey and Brady Proctor (182) added major decisions, Gilham, Grace Stem (126) and Matthew Knepp (170) added decisions, and Chandler Burns won by injury default at 195 pounds.

P-O places 6 at Ultimate Warrior

Philipsburg-Osceola placed six medalists at the Ultimate Warrior tournament over the weekend, finishing 10th out of 34 teams.

“These two days are some of the toughest wrestling we face. This tournament is an extremely competitive environment and good preparation for the postseason,” P-O coach Brad Pataky told the CDT. “Many of the teams we are wrestling we won’t see until the state tournament and this helps us in terms of growing.”

Placing for the Mounties were Nick Coudriet (seventh at 113), Chase Chapman (sixth at 138), Austin Foster (seventh at 145), Hunter Weitoish (third at 160), Parker Moore (third at 195) and Tyler Anderson (eighth at 220).

P-O also came away with a dual win last week, defeating Tyrone 57-21 on Tuesday.

Moore, Anderson, Chase Klinger (285), Chapman, Foster, Luke Hughes (152), Jimmy Richtscheit (160) and Weitoish all recorded falls in the win.

Penns Valley places 3 at Fred Bell tourney

Penns Valley had three placewinners at the Fred Bell tournament over the weekend, finishing fifth out of 38 teams.

Clayton Royer placed second at 138 pounds, and Malachi DuVall was second at 152. Andrew Sharer took third at 182.

The Rams lost their sole dual of the week, falling 47-23 to Huntingdon.

DuVall and Sharer recorded falls in the dual, while Royer added a technical fall.

State College tops Carlisle

The Little Lions emerged victorious from their lone competition this past week, beating Carlisle 42-29 Thursday.

Out of the eight bouts State College won, six were falls. Hayden Cunningham, Owen Woolcott, Clayton Leidy, Kyle Martin, Lance Urbas and Harrison Schoen each recorded pins for the Little Lions.

State College next wrestles Wednesday at Hollidaysburg.

Bellefonte splits week

The Red Raiders had split results last week, earning a convincing 66-9 win over Central Wednesday, then falling 33-27 in a battle against Central Mountain Friday.

Against Central, eight Red Raiders recorded falls - Lane Aikey (126), Alex Coppolo (138), Ethan Richner (160), Stephen Ivicic (170), Max Barrier (220), Aidan O’Shea (106) and Aaron Little (113). Jude Swisher and Ethan Rossman picked up forfeits.

In the Central Mountain loss, Swisher picked up a pin at 132 pounds, as did Richner.

Boys’ basketball

Bald Eagle Area senior Jaden Jones became the second Centre County athlete to hit the 1,000-points milestone this season in his team’s 79-51 victory over Bucktail on Jan. 20.

Penns Valley’s Hannah Montminy hit the mark in December, and State College’s Maya Bokunewicz was honored at the beginning of the season for eclipsing the milestone near the end of last season.

Jones’ 1,000th point came on a layup, assisted by Nick Maynard, early in the second half. Jones ended the game with a team-high 19 points, followed by Nathan Hoover with 11 and Maynard with 10.

BEA went 1-2 on the week, falling 65-44 to Central and 58-40 at Penns Valley. Jones again led the scoring against the Dragons Friday night, with 18. Hoover also reached double digits with 11. Hoover scored a team-high 21 points against the Rams, while Maynard chipped in with 11.

The Eagles are 5-10 on the season, and are next in action Monday night against Cambria Heights.

P-O loses OT heartbreaker

A heartbreaking 49-45 overtime loss to Clearfield on Friday illustrated where Philipsburg-Osceola is at this point in its season — close but not close enough to beating tough opponents.

The Mounties went 1-2 last week, with a 66-30 win over a struggling Curwensville team and a close 66-60 loss to Bellefonte.

Against Bellefonte Tuesday, P-O overcame a slow start to outscore the Red Raiders in the second quarter, and tie in the fourth. Jacob DeSimone led the scoring with 17, while Ryan Whitehead had 16 and Ty Doyle chipped in with 14.

While Curwensville took the lead early Wednesday night, P-O’s defense started to click and the Mounties rolled, outscoring their opponent in all four quarters. Ryan Whitehead and DeSimone led the team in scoring with 12 apiece, while Doyle added 11.

Ryan Whitehead also led the Mounties against Clearfield, scoring 23 points in a game that saw 10 different lead changes. Kaleb Richardson also hit double digits with 13.

The Mounties fall to 7-9, and next play Monday at Moshannon Valley.

Penns Valley’s Snyder nets 5 3s in loss

A fourth-quarter rally and 33 points — including five 3-pointers — from Logan Snyder weren’t enough for Penns Valley to beat a 12-1 Tyrone team Wednesday night, falling 64-59.

The Rams took the 21-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Golden Eagles were able to get back in the game with a 23-10 showing in the second. The Rams won the fourth quarter 17-12, but it wasn’t enough.

Snyder’s 33 points led all scorers Wednesday night.

The Rams also earned a 71-19 win over Bellwood-Antis on Jan. 20. That win marked the 500th career win for coach Terry Glunt for boys’ basketball, boys’ cross country and girls’ cross country combined.

Penns Valley is 9-7 on the season and next plays Bellefonte Wednesday.

St. Joe’s doomed by slow start

St. Joe’s was unable to overcome a slow start Tuesday in a 74-51 loss to Williamsburg that saw the Wolves in a 12-point hole after the first quarter.

St. Joe’s turned on its offense in the second half, winning the third quarter 20-16, but the deficit was too much to overcome.

Brendan Scanlon led the Wolves for the 17th time this season with 36 points, while Noah Straub chipped in seven and Nick Warner added six.

Results for Friday’s game against Jersey Shore were not available by press time.

St. Joe’s plays at United Monday evening.

Bellefonte splits week

Bellefonte split last week with a 66-60 win over Philipsburg-Osceola Tuesday, and a 60-49 loss to Central Friday.

Bellefonte’s win over P-O snapped a two-game losing streak. While Bellefonte won the first period 16-10, the Mounties came back to win the second 18-14. While the Mounties were able to get as close as two points near the end of the game, the Red Raiders were able to hold on for the victory.

“Our guys did a really good job of adjusting tonight,” Bellefonte coach Kris Glunt told the CDT. “We made good reads and I’m proud of the effort.”

The Red Raiders are 5-9 and next play at DuBois Monday.

State College drops 2

The Little Lions fell to 4-13 last week after a 49-46 loss to Cumberland Valley Tuesday, and a 64-41 loss at Harrisburg Friday.

Individual scoring stats were not available for those games.

State College next plays against Mifflin County on Monday.

Girls’ basketball

Penns Valley evens overall record

The Lady Rams improved their overall record to 8-8, with a 5-5 league record, after winning two of three games this past week.

Penns Valley opened the week Wednesday with a 54-35 loss to Tyrone, but it rebounded with back-to-back wins against Bald Eagle Area and Southern Huntingdon.

On Friday, against the Lady Eagles, Penns Valley won 66-33 after three of its players reached double digits: Kailen Winklelblech (16), Hannah Montminy (11) and Katie Martell (10). On Saturday, Penns Valley held on for a 60-50 victory over Southern Huntingdon as Montminy (19) and Lydia Collison (12) both reached double figures, as Winkelblech trailed close behind with nine points.

Against Tyrone, Montminy also had a team-high 14 points.

Penns Valley will next take on Bellefonte on Tuesday for its senior night.

Bellefonte earns 500th program win

The Lady Red Raiders picked up the 500th win in program history Wednesday with a 54-30 win over Philipsburg-Osceola.

“It’s something I’m proud to be a part of,” junior Sara DeHaas told the Centre Daily Times.

P-O took an early 2-0 lead, but Bellefonte responded with a 20-0 run that lasted until the second quarter. Maddie Tice scored a team-high 13 points for the Raiders, and DeHaas added 10.

On Thursday, Bellefonte followed up the milestone with a 39-27 loss to Central. Mallorie Smith and DeHaas both added 10 points apiece, but Bellefonte scored just 14 points in the final three quarters.

Bellefonte (6-11) will next take on Penns Valley on the road Tuesday.

P-O wins 1 of 3 on week

The Lady Mounties finished 1-2 this past week, with a win over West Branch and losses to Bellefonte and Clearfield.

Philipsburg-Osceola started the week off on the right foot Tuesday with a 44-39 victory over West Branch, as Kyleigh Kennedy and Sam Bainey combined to score 32 points.

Kennedy finished with a game-high 17 points.

Against Bellefonte on Wednesday, P-O couldn’t maintain the momentum in a 54-30 loss at home. But Kennedy again impressed, scoring 11 of her game-high 17 points in the third quarter.

And, in Friday’s 64-42 loss to Clearfield, Kennedy scored 14 of her team-high 21 points in the first half. P-O trailed by just five points at the half, before Clearfield turned it on in the final two quarters.

The Lady Mounties are now 3-12 on the season and will next take on Bald Eagle Area on the road Tuesday.

SJCA adds 2 more wins

St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy picked up two more wins in two games this past week, improving their overall record to 10-6 on the season.

The Lady Wolves beat Bald Eagle Area 61-29 Monday and then thumped their next opponent, Williamsburg, 42-32 on Tuesday.

No other details were reported.

SJCA will next take on United on the road Monday.

BEA drops 3 straight

Bald Eagle Area experienced a tough week with losses against Penns Valley, Central and St. Joseph’s.

Lacee Barnhart fared well in each contest, leading her team in scoring every time, but it just wasn’t enough. Against SJCA on Monday, Barnhart and Maddie Perry scored eight points apiece in the 61-29 loss.

On Wednesday, against Central, the Lady Eagles fell 55-26 — but Barnhart added 14 points.

Central led 21-2 after the first quarter, but BEA rallied and was outscored in the second half by just a 20-16 margin. “I was proud of our effort in the second half,” BEA coach Darin Hazel said.

And, in the third and final game of the week Friday, BEA lost to Penns Valley 66-33 — although Barnhart had 24 points and went 10 of 13 from the free-throw line.

The Lady Eagles will look to get back on track Tuesday, when they take on Philipsburg-Osceola.

State College splits week’s games

The Lady Little Lions went 1-1 this past week but punctuated the end of the week with a win on senior night.

State College fell to Cumberland Valley 41-25 Tuesday but bounced back Friday with a 76-36 win over Harrisburg to honor the seniors.

Senior Maya Bokunewicz finished with a game-high 35 points, while Isabelle Leazier added 29 points.

Head coach Chris Leazier said Friday that he’s losing a special group of seniors.

“There are a lot of games left so, right now, we are just excited to continue to improve, but we’re going to miss these kids dearly,” he said.

Hockey

State College falls in OT

The Little Lions were out-shot by nearly a 2-to-1 margin and couldn’t hold on in the end Thursday in a 4-3 overtime loss to Hollidaysburg at Pegula Ice Arena.

State College goalie John Olsen racked up 49 saves on 53 shots, compared to Hollidaysburg’s 27 saves on 30 shots.

Robert Zimmerman led the Little Lions with two goals, while Rees Engel added the other.

State College took a 3-2 lead in the third period on a Zimmerman power-play goal, but Hollidaysburg responded less than a minute later to tie it up. Then, five minutes into overtime, the away team found the back of the net for the game-winner.

Indoor track & field

Plenty of county girl standouts in local invitational

Seven county girls and relay teams came away with first-place finishes Thursday at State College Invitational No. 2.

The Lady Little Lions won all three relay races — the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meters. And State College also had three individual winners: Jessica Lose (60-meter dash; 8.07), Elly Haushalter (800-meter run; 2:26.22) and Lizzie Gilpatrick (3,000-meter run; 10:33.19).

SJCA’s Izzy Warren also won the triple jump with a distance of 37-0.75.

As for the runners-up? St. Joseph’s runner Clare Marsh had second-place finishes in both the 200- and 400-meter dashes in 27.99 and 1:00.52, respectively. State College’s Rachael Spencer was second in the high jump at 5-0, SJCA’s Warren was second in the 60 meters at 9.50, State College’s Mia Iceland was second in the pole vault at 10-0, and Bald Eagle Area’s Sarah Holler finished as the shot-put runner-up with a 32-07.

Local third-place finishers included SJCA’s Warren (long jump) and four Lady Little Lions in Marlee Kwansica (800-meter run), Jordan Reed (mile), Shannon Mullin (triple jump) and Victoria Sodeinde (pole vault).

Little Lion boys shine in invitational featuring local teams

State College’s Sean Adams (800-meter run) and Conrad Moore (high jump) were the big Centre County winners Thursday in State College Invitational No. 2.

Adams won his event in 1 minute, 57.68 seconds — beating out teammate Henry Ballard, the runner-up; and St. Joseph’s runner Carter Kauffman. Moore’s high jump of 5 feet, 10 inches also beat out the Hollidaysburg runner-up by two inches.

Other notable local finishers included Penns Valley’s Brendan Colwell, who finished second in the mile run (4:26.51), and State College’s Zachary DeCarmine, who was the runner-up in the 400-meter dash (51.16).

The only other county participants to snag a top-three finish were State College’s Brady Bigger, who was third in the mile run; Bellefonte’s John Besch, who finished third in the high jump, and State College’s 1,600-meter relay team that finished second out of four teams.

This story was originally published January 26, 2020 at 4:42 PM.