What was the best moment in Centre County high school sports in 2020? Vote here
The year in high school sports has come to a close in Centre County and it’s time to look back at the accomplishments of local athletes, teams and coaches. There were plenty of moments to choose from, between state champions, records set and career milestones.
The Centre Daily Times has narrowed down the year’s top high school sports moments and achievements to a list of eight for readers to vote on until the poll closes on Dec. 31 at noon.
The following moments stood out in 2020 and are some of the best in the year that was in high school athletics.
Bigger wins states for State
State High cross country runner Brady Bigger’s state title at the PIAA Class 3A state championships helped his team finish fifth at the state meet, but also made him the program’s first state champion since 1977. He finished the race three second ahead of second place with a time of 16:07.
P-O volleyball knocks off BEA, makes first state title appearance
The Philipsburg-Osceola volleyball team started off strong this season and made its presence felt with a win over Bald Eagle in its eighth match. The win ended the Eagles’ 82-match Mountain League winning streak and helped propel the Mountaineers all the way to a PIAA Class 2A state finals appearance and a 20-1 record.
Penns Valley girls cross country makes program history
The Penns Valley girls cross country team won the program’s first district title since 1987 and earned its first ever state championship this year. The Rams finished the state meet with three medalists, including Kelsey Hull who finished seventh overall in the race.
Brownstead sets a national swimming record
State College’s Matt Brownstead, who now swims at Virginia, broke the national high school record in the 50 freestyle by finishing in 19.24 seconds. The performance came at the PIAA Class 3A state championships in March, and broke the previous record by .05 seconds.
Sands wins states despite injury
Penns Valley cross country runner Colton Sands struggled with injuries this season, but still showed why he earned All-American status at Foot Locker Nationals as a junior. The senior won the PIAA Class A individual cross country title for the second year in a row with a time of 16:42.
Glunt calls it a career
One of the best high school coaches in the county called it a career this season and ended on a high note. Penns Valley’s Terry Glunt ended his basketball coaching career with a state tournament appearance to start the year. His cross country team followed that with a second place finish in the boys’ state championships, including an individual title by Sands. Glunt’s coaching career spanned 31 years and ends with him leading the Rams in all-time wins across multiple sports.
Three Centre County wrestlers take home gold
Bald Eagle Area’s Gage McClenahan and St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy’s Caleb Dowling and Tyler Stoltzfus all won gold medals at the PIAA wrestling championships this year. McClenahan was Bald Eagle’s first state champ since 2013, while Dowling and Stoltzfus were the first two athletes to win state wrestling titles in program history.
Four athletes surpass 1,000 career points
Centre County had four basketball players eclipse 1,000 points in 2020. Bellefonte’s Ben McCartney, Bald Eagle’s Jaden Jones and Penns Valley’s Hannah Montminy and Logan Snyder all reached the milestone this calendar year. That doesn’t include State College’s Maya Bokunewicz, who eclipsed the mark in the 2018-2019 season and wrapped up her career in 2020.
