For more from The Era’s 2016 Year in Review, see:
Story of the Year: Bradford High joins AML
Team of the Year: Kane Wolves football
The following are some of the top 2016 sports stories that occurred in The Era’s coverage area.
Pitt-Bradford volleyball wins AMCC, advances to NCAA tournament
Picked seventh in the 10-team Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, Pitt-Bradford shouldn’t have been contending for a conference tournament title.
But after tearing through non-conference and league play, the Lady Panthers won the AMCC regular season title, before taking down Penn State Altoona in front of a raucous home crowd in the conference tournament championship.
Pitt-Bradford improved from an 11-16 record in head coach Tom Roof’s first season in 2015 to a school-record 25 wins (25-6). The Lady Panthers advanced to the Division III NCAA tournament against top-seeded Calvin (Mich.).
Elk Catholic hoops finishes undefeated regular season, advances to second-round of states
Led by a balanced offense, Elk Catholic won its first 26 games – including one over Eden Catholic in the Class A first round – and claimed its first district title since 2011.
Nate DaCanal, Gabe Kraus and Kyle Huff averaged between 13.8 and 10.8 points per game as the Crusaders, led by legendary coach Aaron Straub, went wire-to-wire in the regular season, blowing out some teams while escaping with two- and three-point victories against Ridgway and Bradford.
Elk Catholic took down DuBois Central Catholic and Union before holding off a pesky Coudersport team, 48-42, in the district finals. Against Eden Catholic in the PIAA first round, the Crusaders hit 14-of-18 shots from the free throw line to secure the 52-44 win.
A big first-quarter deficit (24-8) was all Farrell needed as the defending state runner-ups downed the Crusaders, 61-38, handing them their first loss.
Bonaventure women selected for NCAA tournament, make second round
After the St. Bonaventure’s men’s basketball team was snubbed from the NCAA tournament, the Jim Crowley-led Lady Bonnies escaped the bubble to earn a 10th seed at the Big Dance.
Playing against seventh-seeded Oklahoma State, Katie Healy scored 23 points and the Lady Bonnies built on a five-point fourth-quarter lead to down the Cowgirls, 65-54. In the second round, St. Bonaventure lost to region host Oklahoma State, which advanced to the Final Four.
Era writer Greg Clark dies
Greg Clark, the long-time Era sportswriter, died on March 4 after a short illness.
“Clarkie,” as he was known in the newsroom and by those at the games he was covering, reported on various sports, including baseball of all levels. When Pitt-Bradford played host to two state Little League tournaments, Clarkie was there on duty.
Along with game stories, he wrote a college football picks column and, later, a Saturday-morning column that touched on anything and everything from cricket to rock-skipping, Burning Well to whichever restaurant he visited on the road.
He also worked in The Era’s mailroom, broadcasted games for WESB radio and was the sports information director at Pitt-Bradford.
His last column ran a week before he died, titled “Clarkie takes a ride down memory lane.” Fittingly, he was remembered with moments of silence last summer before the Big 30 All-Star Charities Classic and the Pennsylvania 8-10 Little League state championship baseball tournament at Pitt-Bradford. The latter event even placed on the press box roof a blue lawn chair, Clarkie’s signature seat.
Bradford hosts state Little League tournament again
After hosting two top-notch tournaments in the past, the Bradford Regional Little League again got the opportunity to bring the state Little League championships to Pitt-Bradford’s Kessel Athletic Complex. From July 26-31, eight teams from across the state battled it out to become the Pa. 8-10-year-old baseball champion. Behind a powerful offense, the team from Ridley Area topped Lehigh, 8-2, to advance to the Eastern Region tournament in Rhode Island.
Oswayo Valley reaches state baseball tournament; Bradford Legion wins Elk County crown
Oswayo Valley, looking for its second-straight District 9 baseball championship, raced to a 22-0 record before falling to DuBois Central Catholic in the D-9 title game. In the state tournament, Rocky Grove took down the Green Wave, 7-1, in Slippery Rock.
During the summer Legion season, Oswayo Valley’s core players teamed with Bradford ballplayers to win the the Elk County title with a 19-1 record. Bradford eventually fell in the Region 8 tournament in St. Marys.
Coudersport volleyball advances to Final Four
As the fifth-seed in the District 9 tournament, Coudersport beat Ridgway before topping North Tier League champion Otto-Eldred in four sets in the quarterfinals. Wins against Elk Catholic and A-C Valley gave the Lady Falcons their first D-9 title in 13 years.
Head coach Patty Wilson’s team headed into the Class A tournament and beat Fort Cherry and then dispatched Bishop Guilfoyle in the quarterfinals. The team’s season came to an end in DuBois after a four-set loss to District 7-champion Greensburg Central Catholic.
The Lady Falcons placed five players on the Pa. Volleyball Coaches Association District 9 Class A all-star team, led by MVP Ally Easton. Also on the team were Kiara Perkins (1st), Haley Keck (2nd), Joplin Osgood (2nd) and Macy Gleason (3rd).
D.J. Horton earns All-American status as IUP pole vaulter
After six-and-a-half years away from pole vaulting, former three-time state champion D.J. Horton resurfaced on the collegiate scene, breaking records as an Indiana University of Pennsylvania freshman track athlete. After winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference indoor title and breaking IUP’s indoor mark, Horton, a 2008 Kane High graduate, rewrote the outdoor record book, won the PSAC outdoor championship and placed eighth at the Division II outdoor championships, earning All-American honors.
Port Allegany soccer wins first District 9 championship
It took the smallest player on the field being in the right spot at the right time for Port Allegany to win its first-ever District 9 soccer championship. Payton Caden, the Gators’ striker, found open space twice in the second half of the D-9 title game against Brockway, scoring both goals in the 2-0 win.
Head coach Aaron Clark — who has been the head coach of the program since its inception — got his team ready for its first state playoff game, playing Seton LaSalle tough at Bradford’s Parkway Field, but ultimately coming up short in a 1-0 loss.
Elkers win first football district title since 1989
Behind a strong defense, Ridgway battled its way to the school’s first District 9 championship since 1989. The Elkers pitched a staggering seven shutouts — the team won 10 games — including a 33-0 trouncing of Curwensville in the D-9 semifinals.
In the finals, the Elkers took down county rival Elk Catholic for the championship.
Otto-Eldred finishes undefeated NTL season
The Lady Terrors were a force to be reckoned with in the North Tier League volleyball circuit, completing a 16-0 league record and an 18-1 regular season record. Jame Thomas’ team, however, had their season come to a crashing halt in the District 9 Class A quarterfinals, losing in four sets to Coudersport. The Terrors swept Coudy in the regular season.
St. Bonaventure men left out of NCAA Tournament field
With a solid resume and a share of the Atlantic 10 title, St. Bonaventure by many accounts seemed to be a team that was a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Instead, the tournament committee left the Bonnies on the outside looking in, as the team instead accepted an invite to the NIT. Still disappointed by their March Madness snub, the Bonnies’ season ended with a loss to Wagner in the opening round.
Kane goes from three wins to basketball title
Kane, coming off a 3-19 season in the 2014-15 season, rode the play of D9Sports.com MVP Andrew Bucheit to a 14-11 season, which was capped by a 38-31 win over Brockway in the Class AA title game at Clarion University.
LaBella leads Terrors to AML North title
After Coudersport defeated Bradford early in the season, it seemed the Falcons were the frontrunner for the Allegheny Mountain League North division title. After a head-to-head victory, Otto-Eldred had other thoughts, finishing the season strong after an 0-4 start to win the North, the school’s first division title since 1975.
In the AML title game, head coach Nick LaBella’s team gave South champion Kane its toughest test yet, a sure improvement on the Wolves’ 42-7 romp early in the year.
At the Big 30 Testimonial Dinner, LaBella was honored as co-coach of the year and the Terrors won the sportsmanship award.
Area track athletes excel
Bradford, behind James Manners Award-winner Mitch Vleminckx, won another boys District 9 track championship and sent numerous athletes to the state meet. At states, St. Marys’ Tom Bojalad — signed to throw at Penn State — placed third in the discus, while Kane had a trio of medalists in Tyler Rolick, Shane Rolick and Joe Newton.
NTL leads way in cross country
Danielle Perry, Amanda Ford and Emma Ford took the top three places, respectively, as Northern Potter won the girls District 9 Class A cross country team title at Ridgway. The third-place Smethport boys were led by Christian Tanner’s fifth-place overall finish.
