HS roundup: State College’s Artie Gilkes named boys track coach of the year, and more
The spring 2021 high school sports season in Centre County ended Thursday with Bellefonte softball’s 7-3 loss to North Hills on Thursday in the PIAA quarterfinals at St. Francis University.
Bellefonte baseball and Bald Eagle Area and Penns Valley softball fell earlier in the week in the first round of the state playoffs.
This marks not only the end of the spring sports season, but also the conclusion of the 2020-21 high school sports year. Played against the backdrop of a pandemic, athletes faced unique challenges in order to have the opportunity to play.
In the fall, players spoke at school board meetings, held rallies and even went to Harrisburg to fight for the chance to have a season. In the winter, athletes adjusted to truncated seasons, masks and revised postseasons. Spring athletes had to make up for lost time after missing last season entirely.
While competition is over for the school year, there are still a couple of news items to wrap up:
State College’s Artie Gilkes wins boy’s track & field coach of the year
State College boys’ track and field didn’t miss a beat after winning the PIAA Class 3A team title in 2019, despite the cancellation of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. The Little Lions again came out on top at Shippensburg this season, winning their third state title in five years.
For the accomplishment, head coach Artie Gilkes was named the Pennsylvania Track & Field Coaches Association’s Boys Coach of the Year.
Key to State College’s win were silver-medal finishes by the 4x100-meter and the 4x800-meter relay teams and high jumper Conrad Moore. All three were awarded PTFCA second-team All-State designation.
The Little Lions’ 4x100-meter relay team consisted of Ryan Lindenberg, Carson Franks, Nolan Markowski and Eniayo Ogunranti, and the 4x800-meter relay was made up of Bennett Norton, Sean Adams, Matthew Staniar and Brady Bigger.
Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy’s Clare Marsh received PTFCA Honorable Mention in the 100 hurdles, in which she finished second in Class 2A with a time of 14.86.
State High taps Todd Roth as girls soccer coach
State College has named a new high school girls soccer coach.
Todd Roth has been a teacher with the school district since 2006. He had previously served as the junior varsity coach at State High from 2016-21, and as the Park Forest Junior High coach from 2008-16.
He is a National Federation of State High School Association-certified Interscholastic Soccer Coach, and hold a USSF D license and USC National Diploma.
Roth was confirmed by the State College school board of directors at its June 7 meeting. His salary is TBD, per board documents.
This story was originally published June 13, 2021 at 8:00 AM.