CLARION – Madison Johnson is the 2014 All American Awards & Engraving/D9Sports.com District 9 Player of the Year.
Joining Johnson in earning major All American Awards & Engraving/D9Sports.com awards are Brookville Hali Olson and Kane’s Camryn Cummings as the Co-Rookies of the Year and Karns City’s Dave Kershbaumer as Coach of the Year.
In addition, the All American Awards & Engraving/D9Sports.com first-, second- and third-team All-District teams are also announced.
Bradford’s Ali Rinfrette was chosen as a First Team selection for the third time, becoming the first Bradford player (boys or girls) to do so.
Rinfrette, meanwhile, also becomes just the sixth player in the D9sports.com era to be named First Team three times, joining Merryman, Ho’ohuli, Heberling, Keystone’s Morgan Johnson (Keystone, 2010-12) and Geena Sneeringer (West Forest, 2008-10).
Johnson was the unquestioned leader of Keystone, which finished second in District 9 Class A, averaging 16.9 ppg. Johnson, who joins her sister Morgan as the only siblings to win the award in its 15 years – Morgan was Player of the Year in 2012 – came back strong off an ACL injury that forced her to miss the postseason last year. Her game got stronger as the year went on with her averaging 18.3 ppg in her final 155 games including 24.2 ppg in four District 9 playoff games helping the Lady Panthers advance to the championship game out of the seventh seed.
Olson and Cummings had nearly identical seasons in helping their respective teams return to District playoff action despite having to replace a bulk of last year’s roster.
Cummings averaged 8.7 points, 8.3 rebounds. 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, while Olson contributed 10.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest.
Kerschbaumer guided Karns City to its first District 9 Class AA title in five years and a 25-2 record that included a second-round PIAA playoff spot.
Joining Johnson and Rinfrette on the All American Awards & Engraving/D9Sports.com District 9 First Team All-District squad are Cranberry’s Emily Merryman, Redbank Valley’s Brooke Hinderliter, Karns City’s LeeAnn Gibson nand Clarion’s Maci Thornton.
Merryman also joins some elite company as part her selection.
She becomes just the third girls player in the D9sports.com era to be named First Team in all four seasons of her high school career, joining Kayla Ho’ohuli (St. Marys, 2008-11) and Punxsutawney’s Staci Heberling (2002-05).
On second-team All-District are Clarion’s Kyla Miles, Port Allegany’s Becca Lathrop, Venango Catholic’s Lindsay Homan, Curwensville’s Ciara Strickland, Sheffield’s Jen Isenberg and Karns City’s Shanel Preston.
The third-team All-District consists of Coudersport’s Jenna Gabreski, Karns City’s Emily LoPresti, Clarion-Limestone’s Abby Mellott and Lily Port, Moniteau’s Stephanie McCall, Port Allegany Brooke Roys and Venango Catholic’s Taylor Moltz.
This is the 15th year of the postseason District 9 awards and the 14th they have been housed at D9Sports.com (the first year, 2000, the awards were awarded by the Tri-County Sunday out of DuBois). It marks the seventh year All American Awards & Engraving has been the title sponsor of the awards.
NOTES – In order to be eligible for the award or the all-district team, a player must participate in at least 70 percent of his team’s games. In order to be eligible for Rookie of the Year a Player must be either a freshman or a sophomore who saw limited or no time as freshman.
