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23:08 | CONNORSSTE
tHE CItIzEns’ VOICE
Sports THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019
NFL PENN STATE FOOTBALL
THE NEXT CHAPTER
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE
Nick Foles went through last season’s playoffs playing the underdog role.
Lehman grad McGovern entering NFL Draft
Eagles in familiar role of underdog BY ROB MAADDI ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles are back in a familiar role with a different disguise. The defending Super Bowl champions traded in the dog masks for ski masks, but they’re still playoff underdogs for the second straight year. Their road is much tougher this time around, however. The Eagles (9-7) are trying to become only the third No. 6 seed to win it all, joining the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers and 2010 Green Bay Packers. Philadelphia starts its quest Sunday against the Chicago Bears (12-4). Last year, the Eagles had the luxury of a first-round bye and two home games but few expected them to do much with backup quarterback Nick Foles. They were the first No. 1 seed to be an underdog in t h e i r o p e n i n g p l ayo f f game, a 15-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Lane Johnson and Chris Long donned dog masks after that game to symbolize the team’s underdog status and it spread throughout the city and continued gaining momentum with each win. The Eagles were 3-point underdo gs ag ainst the Vikings in the NFC championship game and won 38-7. They were 4½-point underdogs against the Patriots in the Super Bowl when Foles earned MVP honors in a 41-33 victory. On wild-card weekend, the combined total of the spread of the other three games is 5½ points while the Bears are 6-point favorites against the Eagles. “To be an underdog and get back to that, we had to go through a lot as a team because we didn’t start out that way this year; it was actually the opposite,” Foles said Wednesday. “Then we went through some growing pains. We had to fight through it. It’s brought us closer together what’s happened, the ups and downs, it’s made us strong mentally.” Foles began the season under center because Carson Wentz wasn’t ready following knee surgery that forced him out of the lineup in December 2017. The Eagles were 1-1 when Wentz returned in Week 3 and played inconsistent for most of the season. Following a 29-23 overtime loss at Dallas in Week 14, the Eagles were 6-7 and their playoff chances were slim. Then Wentz was sidelined by a back injury. Please see EAGLES, Page B5
THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
Lake-Lehman graduate Connor McGovern has been a three-year starter for Penn State. BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITER
Never one to back away from a challenge, Lake-Lehman graduate Connor McGovern soon will be staring down his biggest one yet. McGovern, a junior offensive guard at Penn State, announced via his Twitter account early Wednesday afternoon that he will forego his senior season with the Nittany Lions and declare for the NFL Draft. A highly recruited offensive lineman while playing for Lake-Lehman, McGovern was able
to graduate from high school in December of his senior year in 2015 and enroll in January at Penn State to get a head start on his athletic and academic careers. The decision to enroll early paid off immediately, with McGovern playing in 13 games in his true freshman season, nine of them coming as a starter. And from there, McGovern’s collegiate career began to take off. So much so that in November, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. proclaimed McGovern as the No. 1 offensive guard of eligible prospects
for the 2019 NFL Draft. McGovern was named a third-team All Big 10 pick in 2018 by the conference’s coaches and media. He was also named Penn State’s outstanding offensive lineman in December and was honored at the team’s banquet. During his time at Penn State, McGovern was a fixture on the offensive line with the benefit of being able to play center, guard and tackle. Please see MCGOVERN, Page B4
Next part of McSorley’s career will be his toughest ORLANDO, Fla. ever thought I’d get to DONNIE follow another athlete, see more dramatic endCOLLINS ings authored by one player Commentary than you’d get from a typical soap opera producer, be amazed and impressed and driven so often to the point of no words at when I wrote about Gerry all to describe what was hapMcNamara. pening in front of me, than I did A little more than a decade lat-
N
er, I watched Trace McSorley limp away from Camping World Stadium, and it hit me. There goes another Gerry. We chatted about records McSorley set and plays he made ad nauseum over the last few months. We can continue to just call him a winner, because he most certainly qualifies; even in the loss that sent him out the
door. We can call him undersized and more gritty than he is athletic, and some of you are even going to call him overrated. Hey, I know the drill. I wrote this same story a long time ago, only about a different guy. All those things were said about McNamara, too. Please see COLLINS, Page B4
WVC GIRLS BASKETBALL
Hazleton Area beats Trojanettes BY ERIC SHULTZ STAFF WRITER
NANTICOKE — Virginia Yurchak announced her return to Hazleton Area’s lineup with a pair of 3-pointers during a big first-half surge. Brooke Boretski came off the bench and kept the Cougars ahead with a crucial third-quarter effort. With the game still either team’s to win, Faith Grula CHRISTOPHER DOLAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER swatted away back-to-back Nanticoke Area’s Alyssa Lewis is pressured by inside looks. It seemed like just about Hazleton Area’s Brooke Boretski (21) and Virginia everyone on Hazleton Area Yurchak (32) on Wednesday.
had their chance to make a difference in Wednesday night’s game at Nanticoke Area. In a matchup between 2017-18 state qualifiers, the Cougars came together for a strong team effort and a 50-40 victory over the Trojanettes in Wyoming Valley Conference girls basketball. Hazleton Area (5-4) — last year’s District 2/4 Class 6A subregion champions — let an early lead evaporate but locked in defensively when it counted. The team didn’t allow Nanticoke Area to score in the final four min-
utes and started its first winning streak of the season when the final buzzer sounded. “The kids really wanted a game. We’ve been up and down,” Hazleton Area coach Joe Gavio said. “They would not be denied. They wanted a win to get us going, and maybe that’s what we needed. They all played well.” Boretski scored 13 points for the Cougars. Yurchak had 11, and Kyra Antolick finished with 10. Please see COUGARS, Page B3
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B4 THE CITIZENS' VOICE
21:28 | CONNORSSTE
PENN STATE FOOTBALL
THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019
DONNIE COLLINS
REPORT CARD Tuesday’s Citrus Bowl loss vs. Kentucky
QUARTERBACK He didn’t always play well. Trace McSorley missed some throws early, generally got off to a rough start and threw what turned into a back-breaking interception in the third quarter. But his guts, determination and leadership can’t be questioned after playing the second half with what is likely a severe foot injury. All he did was throw for 246 yards, rush for 74 and account for three scores. He went out the right way.
GRADE: A-
RUNNING BACK Outside of a 13-yard run on a thirdand-10 that kept the Lions’ last drive alive, Miles Sanders had a quiet game. He rushed just 13 times for 51 yards, and caught two short passes, but he dropped another. Ricky Slade had a few solid runs, but really, McSorley was the running game, as he piled up almost half of Penn State’s 164 rushing yards.
GRADE: C
RECEIVER New year. Same story. Penn State just dropped too many passes. DeAndre Thompkins, in particular, had a few hit the turf, one on a perfect throw from backup QB Sean Clifford. Thompkins caught four passes for 74 yards, and the tight ends — Pat Freiermuth and Nick Bowers — each caught touchdown passes. But as was the story all season, just not a lot of big plays from the guys on the outside. Receivers coach David Corley was fired Wednesday.
GRADE: C-
OFFENSIVE LINE The big question coming in was whether the offensive line would be able to win enough battles against a 3-4 front that had a ton of size. The answer was no. Penn State quarterbacks were sacked six times, and there just wasn’t enough room for the running backs to get going although, in their defense, McSorley got some gaps to hit. It was a tough matchup in which they simply needed to be a little better up front.
GRADE: C-
DEFENSIVE LINE For most of the game, this was a dominant group. But when it mattered most, when the Nittany Lions needed to stuff the Kentucky running game, there were enough holes for Wildcats bulldozer Benny Snell to hit. He picked up two first downs on the last drive of the game and pretty much exhausted Penn State’s timeouts and the game clock in the progress.
GRADE: C+
LINEBACKER Micah Parsons was everywhere. He didn’t start, and he only started playing regularly once Cam Brown was ejected for targeting. But he finished with 13 tackles and a forced fumble in an impressive effort. Brown also played well until he got tossed, and Ellis Brooks made a few big plays in limited action against a tough back. So the future of the Penn State linebacking corps is extremely bright.
GRADE: C+
SECONDARY Kentucky’s passing game hadn’t been dominant all season, and it wasn’t in the Citrus Bowl. It helped safeties Garrett Taylor (10 tackles) and Nick Scott (six) be more active in the running game. Cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields had maybe his best game as a Nittany Lion, and 54 of Kentucky’s 121 yards through the air came on a short throw Lynn Bowden Jr. turned into a big play.
GRADE: B+
SPECIAL TEAMS Failed to convert a fake punt. Missed two field goals. Allowed a punt return for a score. Thompkins let a punt fall behind him at the 20 that rolled to the 5. Special teams lost the game for Penn State.
GRADE: F
COACHING The fake punt early made some sense against a Kentucky offense that isn’t exactly explosive. The decision to attempt the field goal on the last drive instead of trying to keep the drive alive on fourthand-7 again made some sense, considering there were still four minutes left and three timeouts to burn. But the staff put confidence in units that have collapsed before and took the ball twice away from McSorley. These are legitimate concerns as a young team moves forward.
GRADE: D+
THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
James Franklin thanked Lake-Lehman graduate Connor McGovern for his leadership at Penn State.
MCGOVERN: Lehman grad will enter NFL Draft FROM PAGE B1
He went to Penn State after starting at center for Lake-Lehman since the midway point of his freshman year. This past summer, he moved from center to right guard. “Connor has been a great leader for us as a three-year star ter,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said in a statement issued through the school. “He has been instrumental in building our offensive line room’s chemistry. We are excited for Connor
to make this next step in his football career. We couldn’t be more proud of Connor and wish him nothing but success.” McGover n’s decision to declare for the draft was part of an eventful day at Penn State with players declaring for the NFL Draft. Offensive tackle Ryan Bates, defensive end Shareef Miller and defensive tackle Kevin Givens also announced their plans to leave college early. Following a freshman season that saw him earn individual accolades such as
being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after Penn State ran up 599 yards of total offense against Iowa, M c G ove r n s t a r t e d a l l 1 3 games at center in his junior season. This year, he made 12 starts, 11 at right guard and one at center. During his entire career with the Nittany Lions, he missed just one game and started 34. “I’m proud of him,” said Lake-Lehman football coach Jerry Gilsky. “This is the next chapter in his life. As a coach, I’m really excited for him. It is good to have a local player in
the NFL. We already have one, and now we are going to have another.” The most recent for mer Wyoming Valley Conference star to be drafted was former GAR and Lackawanna College standout Mark Glowinski. Glowinski was selected in the fourth round of the 2015 draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Glowinski is now the starting right guard for the Indianapolis Colts. Contact the writer: sbennett@citizensvoice.com; 570 821-2062; @CVSteveBennett on Twitter
COLLINS: McSorley ends college career like McNamara I’m going to face it head-on. I’m going to attack these next couple of months like nothing McNamara started his college career by guiding a most was different.” On one hand, this is the talented team to the biggest perfect time to be the type of win in the history of a storied quarterback McSorley is. program, then finished it More NFL teams are looking with something even better: for leadership, playmaking guts and determination, a ability, a special kind of abilrefusal to lose in the 2006 Big ity at the quarterback posiEast Tournament even tion than they are the protothough he clearly no longer typical size and speed combihad the best team around nation. Twenty years ago, him. Russell Wilson wouldn’t Moments like those are have been a perennial Pro what makes legends. Bowler, and Baker Mayfield Scranton native McNamara wouldn’t have been the No. 1 hasn’t played at Syracuse in pick overall in the draft. But more than 12 years, and a dozthe fact of the matter is, en years from now, McSorley players who don’t have that is going to be thought of in size and speed get one much the same way, in footchance to show what they ball terms of course. But, he’s can do and you don’t want to going to find out what McNaget that chance when you mara did after his own legaren’t 100 percent. endary career with the McNamara’s injury in the Orange ended: The next step Big East Tourney in ’06 came is a whole different type of at exactly the wrong time and beast. hampered any chance he had Especially when you at the NBA. This is not a wellapproach it limping. timed injury, whatever is McNamara fought his way wrong with his foot, for Trace through that classic Big East McSorley. Tournament while battling a JOHN RAOux / ASSOCIATED PRESS But that’s OK. Really, it is. severe groin strain, just like Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley walks off the field McNamara went into coachMcSorley gutted out the last after losing to Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl on Tuesday. ing, and it’s likely his career half of Penn State’s 2018 seain basketball will far outlast son with a balky right knee interviews and working out in the typical NBA player. That’s and, in the second half of the been the most prudent on another road McSorley could record. those drills. They’ll want to 27-24 loss to Kentucky in the “As a friend, I’m looking at see how he handles the speed take that would be an easy Citrus Bowl, what is very likeTrace like, ‘Dude, what are parallel to McNamara’s of NFL-caliber prospects on ly a broken foot. McSorley insisted after the you doing? You have a future career to draw, too. defense, how he works with game that tests were taken, Both players are legends in ahead of you,’ ” Scott said. NFL coaches, how he picks up and that they had yet to He’s right. The next couple offenses and honestly, wheth- the college game, and both show any kind of conclusive of weeks are going to be big will mean something to fan er some of the accuracy diagnosis, but they throw ones for McSorley’s pro prosissues he battled through dur- bases of their respective injury information around schools for generations, and pects. ing his senior season can be at Penn State like manhole He is likely going to get an remedied with a few mechani- there’s plenty of pride in covers. If an athletic depart- invitation to some of the bigthat for both. For McSorley, cal tweaks. like McNamara, the battles ment spokesperson says his ger All-Star games for draftMost of all, they’ll want to foot is broken, then it was eligible players, and you find see if he’s healthy. Right now, they fought in their final months of college took a toll. likely at least a preliminary all the top NFL scouts, gener- that’s a big question mark. In McSorley’s case, he’ll have diagnosis. For as much al managers and coaches at “We’re just going to take it toughness as he showed get- those games and practices. one step at a time. That’s all I to work hard to overcome them. ting back into the game and Players can make a name for can do,” McSorley said. darn near leading the Nitta- themselves there as easily as “Whatever comes our way, I’m DONNIE COLLINS is a Timesny Lions to victory despite a they can at the NFL Combine going to be able to face it Shamrock sports columnist. 27-7 deficit heading into the in February. head-on. My career as a playContact him at dcollins@ fourth quarter, senior safety Coaches are going to want er isn’t over. I wholeheartedly timesshamrock.com and follow him Nick Scott’s assessment of to see him in those games, in believe that. Whatever adver- on Twitter @DonnieCollinsTT. the goings on might have those practices, doing those sity comes or doesn’t come, FROM PAGE B1
WB_VOICE/PAGES [B01] | 01/03/19
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tHE CItIzEns’ VOICE
Sports FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2019
PENN STATE FOOTBALL
McGovern: ‘I knew I was ready’ BY STEVE BENNETT staff writer
The plan all along was to wait and see how the season played out. Or at least until the Week 10 game against Wisconsin. Connor McGovern figured by that time, he would have a pretty good idea of whether or not he was going skip his senior season and declare for the NFL Draft or return to Penn State for his final year. The Wisconsin game came and went, and McGovern had pretty much made up his
INSIDE: rB Miles sanders leaving for draft. Page B6 mind that he was going to leave Penn State early. He made it official on Wednesday afternoon via his Twitter account that he was indeed making himself eligible for the NFL Draft. And now, McGovern is getting ready to go to the prom — what it is referred to as at the EXOS training facility in Pensacola, Florida, a company that specializes in prepar-
ing college football players for the NFL. “Throughout the season, since the summer, I was hearing from agents and things like that,” McGovern said from Pensacola, Florida, where he will be staying for the next few months prepping for the draft. “Halfway through the season, my parents and I started talking. Toward the end of the season, things really started ramping up. At the beginning of the year, we were going to wait until the
Wisconsin game. The next thing you knew, we were playing Wisconsin. We had a lot of talks and that is what it came to.” Relying on the information and feedback provided to him by Penn State coach James Franklin and a few other coaches on staff, McGovern, a Lake-Lehman grad who started 34 games during his career at Penn tHe CitiZeNs’ VOiCe fiLe State, felt the time was right to head to the NFL. Lake-Lehman grad Connor McGovern said he waited Please see MCGOVERN, Page B6
until after the Wisconsin game to make up his mind about leaving Penn State early for the draft.
WBS PENGUINS WVC BOYS BASKETBALL
tHe CitiZeNs’ VOiCe fiLe
Penguins’ Ethan Prow will represent Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton at the AHL All-Star Classic later this month.
D-man Prow picked as AHL All-Star
Race to the finish
Pittston Area edges Meyers in closing seconds
BY TYLER PICCOTTI staff writer
With the amount of talented players spread across the American Hockey League, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Ethan Prow doesn’t take any potential accolades for granted. But in the back of his mind, he knew his breakout season might just be good enough to send him to Springfield, Massachusetts, for the AHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 27-28. On Thursday, his optimism became certainty. The 26-year-old Prow was selected to represent WilkesBarre/Scranton and the Atlantic Division by a committee of league coaches, marking the Minnesota native’s first chance to compete in the league’s annual skills showcase. “It’s good, any time you can do it and represent the Penguins,” Prow said after practice at the Toyota SportsPlex. “It’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime (thing) you can do. I’ve never been a part of something like that. So, I’m pretty excited.” Prow, in his third season with the Penguins, has a career-high 10 goals (tied for second-most among league defensemen) and 22 points. A lot of his offense has also come at important spots late in games, with the Penguins either trying to rally or looking for added insurance. Each of the league’s four divisions will be represented by 12 players, with each team sending at least one person. Among the other notable selections for the Atlantic were Hershey goaltender Vitek Vanecek, former Penguin and current Lehigh Valley Phantom Colin McDonald and Charlotte Checkers forward Janne Kuokkanen. Please see PENS, Page B4
DaVe sCHerBeNCO / staff PHOtOGraPHer
Pittston Area’s Andrew Krawczyk brings the ball down in front of Meyers’ Blake Masker and Najese Hood on Thursday night. BY MATT BUFANO staff writer
YATESVILLE — Pittston Area earned one of the most thrilling victories this season in local high school boys basketball. Again. Three weeks after coming
back from an 18-point deficit to beat West Scranton in overtime, the Patriots reached back into their bag of tricks Thursday for another sensational win. Trailing by a point with no room for er ror, junior guard Lo g an Booth drove
hard to the hoop and made a contested layup with 0.8 seconds left, sealing a 54-53 Pittston Area win ag ainst Meyers. “Logan’s not used to sitting for long periods of time, and he sat a long time tonight because of foul trouble,”
Pittston Area head coach Alan Kiesinger said of Booth, who scored six points. “He stayed mentally engaged in the game and he was ready to make a big basket like that at the end.” Please see PATRIOTS, Page B3
Cougars hand Trojans 1st loss BY DAVE SEAMON staff writer
HAZLE TWP. — When Hazleton Area and Nanticoke Area’s boys basketball teams last met, the Cougars were the ones with a wealth of proven talent — the ones getting plenty of early season hype. Hazleton Area lived BOB GaetaNO / CONtriBUtiNG PHOtOGraPHer up to it at Nanticoke Nanticoke Area’s Nate Kreitzer goes up for a Area last January, pulllayup past Hazleton Area defenders. Hazleton ing away for an 83-65 Area won the game, 62-50.
victory on the way to its third straight Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 title, the District 2/4 Class 6A Subregional championship and a deep state playoff run. Coming into their rematch at Hughie McGeehan Gymnasium on Thursday might, the veteran Trojans appeared on a similar path as last year’s Cou-
gars. They were unbeaten in seven games, showcasing a lethal perimeter game and climbing to No. 9 in the latest PIAA Class 4A rankings. Hazleton Area, meanwhile, was still searching for an identity after graduation took away most of its biggest stars. Most, but certainly not all. Please see COUGARS, Page B3
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SPORTS
B6 THE CITIZENS' VOICE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2019
Robertson, Phillies agree to contract BY ROB MAADDI ASSOCIATED PRESS
MLB
PHILADELPHIA — David Robertson got himself a new deal in a new pair of pinstripes. The 33-year-old righthanded reliever and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a $23 million, twoyear contact on Thursday. Robertson gets $10 million this year and $11 million in 2020, and the Phillies have a $12 million option for 2021 with a $2 million buyout. “The Phillies are a great organization, and they have that hunger to get back in the postseason and they’re going in the right direction,” Robertson said. “It’s a place where I’ll get a lot of opportunities to pitch in the back end of the bullpen and I don’t see any reason why we can’t get in the postseason.” Robertson went 8-3 with a 3.23 ERA and five saves in 69 games last season for the New York Yankees. He left the Yankees after the 2014 season to sign a $46 million, four-year contract with the Chicago White Sox, who traded him to New York in July 2017. An 11-year veteran and a 2011 All-Star, Robertson has appeared in at least 60 games in nine straight seasons. He could get opportunities to close in Philadelphia, which hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011. Seranthony Dominguez led the Phillies with 16 saves last season, and manager Gabe Kapler likes versatility in his bullpen. “He’s going to pitch highleverage innings for us,” Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said of Robertson. “That’s what he’s done very effectively and consistently for a long time. The fact he has experience pitching the ninth inning is very appealing for us.” Hector Neris led the Phillies with 26 saves in 2017 and had 11 last year. He’s also in the mix to pitch the ninth. It’ll likely be determined by matchups. Robertson has even better numbers against lefties than righties during his career. He has held lefties to a .188 batting average and .268 on-base percentage vs. .222 and .302 for righties. “I want to pitch whenev-
er I can to help the team win games,” Robertson said. “If I have to pitch in the sixth, seventh, eighth or even the ninth, it doesn’t matter to me. I just want to be in the back end of the bullpen when the big outs need to get made.” Robertson represented himself in contract negotiations for the first time. Klentak said he was impressed and called it a “unique” experience talking money directly with the player. “He was very well prepared, he knew the market very well, he knew what was important to him and he was able to articulate it well and that helped us get to a deal,” Klentak said. Robertson spent parts of nine seasons in the majors with the Yankees, who selected him in the 17th round of the 2006 amateur draft. He made a pair of relief appearances against the Phillies in the 2009 World Series, allowing a two-run single to Raul Ibanez in the eighth inning of the opener and an RBI groundout to Carlos Ruiz in the third inning of Game 5. Robertson replaced Mariano Rivera after he retired following the 2013 season and had 39 saves in 2014. He’s 53-32 with a 2.88 ERA and 137 saves in 654 career appearances, all in relief. “I had a great time playing in New York. They are an excellent organization,” Robertson said, adding he spoke to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman about returning. “New York will always hold a special place in my heart. It was just time for me to go someplace else.” The Phillies have been activethisoffseason,acquiring shortstop Jean Segura and signing outfielder Andrew McCutchen. They finished 80-82 last year after leading the NLEastinAugust. Klentak said the team had a “productive” meeting with Manny Machado last month. “I expect that the dialogue there will continue,” Klentak said. The team also is scheduled to meet with Bryce Harper.
Suspended Clemson players to miss game BY MATT CONNOLLY THE STATE (COLUMBIA, S.C.)
Clemson will be without star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence in the national championship game, the school announced in a statement Thursday afternoon. Lawrence is one of three Tigerssuspendedaheadof last week’s Cotton Bowl for testing positive for the banned substanceostarinealongwithtight end Braden Galloway and offensivelinemanZachGiella. All three players will travel with the team, but they will not play in the game. “Clemson will not have tight end Braden Galloway, offensive lineman Zach Giella and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence available for Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship against Alabama,” Clemson Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich said in a statement. “However, Clemson has been informed by the NCAA
that the three student-athletes will be permitted to travel to Santa Clara, Calif., with the team later this week.” The likelihood of the suspensions being overturned before the national title game went from slim to none on Thursday as Clemson confirmed that the three players will miss the game. Clemson is still appealing to have the three players eligible for next season. Lawrence, a junior, is expected to leave the Tigers and enter the 2019 NFL draft. But Galloway, a freshman, and Giella, a junior, will be suspended for 2019 if the ruling is not overturned. “As requested by these student-athletes, Clemson filed notices of appeal with the NCAA. We will continue to work with the three impacted student-athletes and their legal representatives over the coming weeks to prepare the appeals,” Radakovich said.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE
Penn State’s Miles Sanders (24) rushed for 1,274 yards and nine touchdowns as a starter.
Sanders heading to NFL BY DONNIE COLLINS STAFF WRITER
Four Penn State juniors made their intentions to turn pro known Wednesday. On Thursday, another one added his name to the list. Running back Miles Sanders, who rushed for 1,274 yards and nine touchdowns after getting the starting job in 2018, announced via Twitter he will also be entering the NFL Draft. “Miles is a student of the game and made the most of his opportunities when his time came,” Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin said. “We are very proud of Miles and how he has g rown during his entire Penn State career. We are looking forward to seeing what he can do at the next level.” Once the top running back recruit in the nation when he committed to Penn State in 2016, Sanders was ranked as the No. 6 running back prospect in the 2019 Draft by ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. in his November rankings. “This decision was not an easy one,” Sanders wrote in a statement
PENN STATE FOOTBALL released by the university. “I truly believe this is the next best ste p for my future.” Evidently, others shared the sentiment. Franklin said at varying times over the past few years that he typically counsels players considering early NFL entry to stick around the program for an extra season unless they are certain first- or second-round picks. However, none of the five players who declared over the last few days — Sanders, offensive linemen Ryan Bates and Connor McGover n, and defensive linemen Kevin Givens and S h a re e f M i l l e r — a re guar antee d to go t hat high, according to the more reputable mock drafts that can be found online. Since he took over at Penn State in 2014, Franklin has consistently done two things differently than his two immediate predecessors, Joe Paterno and Bill O’Brien. He has pitched players on academics, selling them on the prospect of graduating within 3½ years. He also made an effort to get as
ers leave early during the Franklin era. Most significantly, Saquon Barkley left after his true junior season and ended up being the second overall pick in 2018 by the New York Giants. Receiver Chris Godwin also left after his true junior season and went in the third round in 2017. A year earlier, quarterback Christian Hackenberg and defensive tackle Austin Johnson left with a year of eligibility remaini n g a n d we re s e c o n d round picks. Hackenberg is currently out of the NFL. At the same time, a handful of players who could have left early chose to stick around for their senior season, likely with improved Draft results. Tight end Mike Gesicki parlayed his senior campaign in 2017 into secondround money in the ‘18 Draft. Safety Troy Apke a n d re c e ive r D a e S e a n Hamilton wound up fourth-round picks last year, and safety Marcus Allen went in the fifth, all after deciding to return for their senior campaigns.
many recruits as are able to enroll in January. Only one of the five Nittany Lions who declared this week enrolled early, McGovern in January of 2016; and while several are said to be within a semester of at t a in in g their degrees, only Bates enters the draft process with a diploma in hand. So, many fans and national media types spent their Thursdays wondering if there’s a reason five draft-eligible players at Penn State would decide to l e ave t h e p ro g r a m e n masse. For what it’s wor th, players said they were all individual decisions, made for varying reasons. Some had family financial considerations they were weighing. Others may have figured the difference between staying in school and leaving early would make financially was negligible. McGover n, for instance, is rated as the No. 1 guard prospect in the Draft by Kiper, and it’s o bv i o u s ly d i f f i c u l t t o retur n to school and Contact the writer: improve on that ranking. Either way, Penn State dcollins@timeshamrock.com; has seen its share of play- @psubst on Twitter
MCGOVERN: Training for combine in Florida FROM PAGE B1
“Before the bowl game, I had a meeting with the coaches,” McGovern said. “I sat down with coach Franklin a couple times, and we talked. He supported everything I was doing. He was telling me things he was finding out. That really made it easier. He agreed with everything I did.” McGovern was one of several Penn State players to declare for the draft, including defensive linemen Shareef Miller and Kevin Givens. Offensive lineman Ryan Bates also announced he was leaving. On Thursday, running back Miles Sanders made it official that he will
be putting his name in for the draft. “I think that shows a lot of just how much the guys improved over the last couple of years,” McGovern said of the players deciding to leave early. “We’re just ready for the next step. It was a lot of fun playing with them. We had a lot of great experiences.” It’s been a hectic few days for McGovern since the Citrus Bowl game on Tuesday. Wednesday he signed with his agent, Joel Segal, settled into his apartment in Pensacola, and had his first training session on Thursday morning at EXOS, a facility where he will train two times a day for six days a week. It is
where he will prepare for the NFL Combine, though he won’t know until the end of January if he will be officially invited. He said the prospects are promising. McGovern said he expects there to be close to 30 draft prospects training at the facility beginning next week when the majority of the players will begin to filter in. “You are basically training for the combine. It is a lot less football specific, and more bench press and agility work. It’s a lot of combine work with football mixed in. There is some board work, meetings, they teach you how to talk to coaches, what questions they will ask and prepare you for interviews with
the NFL organizations.” While his versatility will certainly be a plus for any organization that selects him, McGovern is capable of playing center, guard and tackle, he figures he slots in as an interior lineman. Regardless, he is ready for the challenges that await him, and the process it will take to get there. “Going into the season, I knew I was ready,” McGovern said. “I think positively I am ready for the next level. I believe I am ready for the next step, and now that challenge is in front of me.” Contact the writer: sbennett@citizensvoice.com; 570 821-2062; @CVSteveBennett on Twitter
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WB_VOICE/PAGES [B01] | 02/07/19
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tHE CItIzEns’ VOICE
Sports FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL
THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
GAR has produced three state runner-ups, numerous NCAA players and coaching legends.
LEGENDARY
GAR has produced some of the area’s best players, coaches and teams BY MATT BUFANO STaFF WrITEr
WILKES-BARRE — GAR has produced some of the greatest basketball talents ever from the Wyoming Valley. Grenadiers who have topped the 2,000-point mark — Chris Shovlin, Bobby Sura and Larry Koretz — are household names for fans of the “school on the hill.” Shovlin, Sura and Koretz; Dale Rapson, Andy Holup, Bob Zipko, Ed DeMichele, Bill Callahan, Greg Skrepenak, John Snyder, Isaiah Francis, the list goes on. Oh, and the list is not limited to only players. GAR was coached for more than 40 years by two local legends, John Hopkins (503 wins from 1973 to 1996) and Paul Brown (359 wins, 1996-2015). Great talent on the court combined with unrivaled sta-
bility in the coaching ranks, have made for a perfect marriage at GAR boys basketball. Winners of 27 league championships and 12 district titles, the Grenadiers are playing their final regular season game 7:30 p.m. tonight at home against Meyers. “I enjoyed my days at GAR,” said Hopkins, a graduate of Pittston Twp. “Some of the happiest days of my life. My wife and I enjoyed the people down there, the coaches, the fans, the students, everybody. We had a good time.” Hopkins led GAR to its greatest achievements with state championship appearances in 1986, 1990 and 1991. Many would credit Hopkins as the coach responsible for setting a high standard in the program, although he pointed to his predecessor. “The year before I took over,
The Final Days as part of Wilkes-Barre area’s consolidation plan, Coughlin, Gar and Meyers will unify into one athletic program beginning next school year. This week, The Citizens’ Voice is looking back on the rich history of boys basketball at each school. Wednesday: Coughlin Thursday: Meyers Today: Gar Saturday: Coverage of the final Meyers vs. Gar regular season game Tommy Davis just won the championship,” Hopkins said. “So I walked into a good situation, a good JV team. It was a program that was on the rise.” Hopkins’ Grenadiers were a regular in the district and state tournaments, back when the PIAA sanctioned only
three or four classes, as opposed to today’s six-class system. “We were so fortunate to be in postseason games,” Hopkins said. “Every year, we looked forward to going to Martz Hall or one of these big places. We’re such a small school, and to travel around the state was something to look forward to. The CYC in Scranton was a big thing then, going up and playing there.” A few of Hopkins’ highestprofile athletes were actually recruited for football. In the mid-1970s, Ohio State coach Woody Hayes scouted Bob Tomko at a basketball practice. Tomko wound up playing on the defensive line at West Virginia. About a decade later, Penn State’s Joe Paterno visited a few times to watch Greg
Skrepenak at practice and in games. Skrepenak played on the offensive line at Michigan. Before leaving for Ann Arbor, however, Skrepenak was a senior center for the Grenadiers’ 1986 basketball team that won four games, including the Eastern final, in the PIAA Class 2A playoffs. “We had many championships and a lot of fine players, a lot of dedicated playe r s, ” H o p ki n s s a i d . “ I think we won around 15 championships, and I had good athletes and I had good assistant coaches. We had it going there for a while in the ’80s.” Indeed, GAR made the state tour nament again e ve r y ye a r f r o m 1 9 8 7 through 1989. That success rolled into
the 1990s, as well, thanks in large part to Sura. “We tried to play as a t e a m , t h at ’s t h e m a i n thing,” Hopkins said of his coaching phil o s o p h i e s. “We played good defense all the time and talked all the time on defense. On of fense, share the ball. The best players take the most shots.” In 1990, GAR beat Dunmore 51-47 for the District 2 Class 2A title. Later that month, GAR lost its first game, 59-49, against Girard in the state final. GAR repeated the same feats in 1991, winning a gold district medal and silver state medal before Sura graduated and played the rest of his career at Florida State and in the NBA. Please see GAR Page B3
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL
NFL DRAFT
Second-quarter run powers Cougars over Patriots BY ERIC SHULTZ STaFF WrITEr
THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
Penn State lineman and Lake-Lehman graduate Connor McGovern was invited to participate in the NFL scouting combine prior to the NFL draft.
McGovern invited to NFL combine BY STEVE BENNETT STaFF WrITEr
The day after Penn State’s season ended with a loss to Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, Lake-Lehman grad Connor McGovern declared for the NFL Draft. With that decision out of the way, the following day McGovern began preparing for the next step in his football career, starting workouts at the EXOS training facility in Pensacola, Florida, with his sights set on getting an invitation to the NFL combine, the annual event held in Indianapolis where draft prospects can see their stock rise or fall. On Thursday, McGovern got his invitation to the event
that will be held Feb. 26 to March 4. “I officially found out two or three weeks ago, I got an email from the NFL,” McGovern said Thursday night in a phone interview from Florida. “I had to fill out a lot of paperwork, and I could not make it known until the NFL sent out all the official invites.” Thursday was the day those invites went out, and McGovern is one of seven players from Penn State to receive invitations. Trace McSorley, Miles Sanders, Amani Oruwariye, Ryan Bates, Kevin Givens and Shareef Miller will also be in Indianapolis. Please see MCGOVERN, Page B4
YATESVILLE — Hazleton Area and Pittston Area went to overtime in their first game this season, and it looked like that could be an option after a tied first quarter when they met again on Thursday. That changed fast. Hazleton Area started the second quarter on a 13-point run, held Pittston Area to three points all period and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the game. Led by an 18-point effort by senior Da’mir Faison, the Cougars spoiled the Patriots’ home finale with a 69-32 victory Thursday night in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 matchup. The rout stretched the Cougars’ winning streak to four games, and it was the third time they won by 27 or more points in that span. They also dug their heels into first place in Division 1. “This is a group of guys that had to kind of live in the shadows, so to speak, of the team that we had last year. (It) was 26-2, we had two all-state players, we lost over 3,000 points to graduation,” Cougars coach Mike Joseph said. “These seniors want to go out with a chance to win a championship. ... You want to be playing your best basketball going into March, and I think we’re getting to that point.”
FraNK C. LaUrI / CONTrIBUTING PHOTOGraPHEr
Hazleton Area’s Da’Mir Faison gets past Pittston Area defenders as he drives to the basket. Hazleton Area (14-6, 13-2 Division 1) is tied with Crestwood (16-4, 12-2) in the Division 1 loss column but has an extra win. The Cougars close their divisional schedule Saturday at third-place Dallas, while Crestwood heads to sixth-place Valley West today and fifth-place Coughlin on Saturday.
Hazleton Area needed an extra period to top Pittston Area (12-9, 8-7) last month, 57-53, but its dominant second quarter broke a 10-all tie and effectively decided this matchup. Faison had a fastbreak dunk and capped his team’s 13-point run with a 3-pointer, and the Cougars
eventually headed to the locker room with a 29-13 lead. “They have aspirations to win the league title, and I think they came focused on trying to do that tonight,” Pittston Area coach Alan Kiesinger said. Please see COUGARS, Page B4
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SPORTS
B4 THE CITIZENS' VOICE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019
Lake-Lehman, Hazleton Area fall on Day 1 at states STAFF REPORTS
A few days after he clinched a district championship with a pin, senior T.J. Meehan brought Lake-Lehman wrestling close to another big victory. The Black Knights cut their deficit to two points when Meehan defeated Brookville’s Tanner LaBenne by decision at 220 pounds. It was either side’s match to win at that point, with the first 10 bouts split evenly between the teams. Brookville needed roughly two minutes to run away with the win, though. A forfeit at heavyweight and two pins in less than a minute sent the Raiders past LakeLehman, 40-26, and into the Class 2A quarterfinals of the PIAA Team Wrestling Championships on Thursday at Hershey’s Giant Center. Lake-Lehman, District 2’s champion, faces D10 runnerup Conneaut Area at 8 a.m.
today in the first round of consolations. If the Knights avoid elimination with a win, they’ll return to the mat for another consolation round at 4 p.m. Brookville — District 9 champions for six years in a row, and a 2016 state champion — turned its 22-20 lead after Meehan’s decision into a 40-20 advantage with pins in 21 seconds by Owen Reinsel (106) and 59 seconds by Bryce Walter (113). Before that point, the Raiders’ largest lead was five points through nine bouts. In fact, Lake-Lehman had early control of the dual meet and led by as much as 14-6 after five weight classes. With Bob Long’s tech fall at 132, Hunter Burke’s pin at 145 and decisions by Jake Trumbower (152) and Nick Zaboski (170), the Knights were up 17-12 at the midway point. Brookville eventually pulled away from there with
its forfeit and four more bonus-point victories. The Raiders’ next challenge is District 4 champion Souther Columbia, the team that beat them for third place in 2017 and again on the way to second place last season. Southern Columbia took down Lake-Lehman in January, 69-3.
PIAA TEAM WRESTLING
lineup became instrumental in overcoming an early deficit, rallying the Cougars past Delaware Valley for the district title and a trip to states. While a lot of the same wrestlers came through again in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A Team Championships at Hershey’s 126: Cabe Park (BRO) dec. Zach Stuart, 3-0. 132: Bob Long (L-L) tech fall Giant Center, the hole was Parker Fleming, 15-0 (5:49). 138: Wyatt too deep this time. Kulik (BRO) dec. Josh Bonomo, 3-0. 145: Council Rock South, the Hunter Burke (L-L) pinned Cody Hetrick, 2:42. 152: Jake Trumbower (L-L) dec. District 1 champion, won the Jacob Cable, 3-1. 160: Wyatt Griffin first five matches, all with (BRO) pinned Connor Morgan, 2:40. 170: Nick Zaboski (L-L) dec. Elliot Park, 3-0. bonus points, to build an 182: Braden Macbeth (BRO) pinned Tim insurmountable lead en Schechterly, 0:39. 195: Nathan Taylor (BRO) maj. dec. Thomas Nalbone, 8-0. route to a 39-15 victory over 220: T.J. Meehan (L-L) dec. Tanner Hazleton Area. Labenne, 4-3. 285: Colby Whitehill (BRO) Hazleton Area next matchwon by forfeit. 106: Owen Reinsel (BRO) pinned Mason Konigus, 0:21. 113: es up with Father Judge, the Cayden Walter (BRO) pinned Jake Patla, District 12 champion, today 0:59. 120: Chandler Longstreth (L-L) in a consolation match. pinned Zack Keihl, 2:28. Council Rock South faces Cougars can’t Dallastown Area, the second claw back seed out of District 3, in the In the District 2 finals, that championship quarterfinals. Shane Noonan kept his back end of Hazleton Area’s
O’Day, Johnson lead GAR to big win STAFF REPORTS
GAR (83) J. O’Day 8 0-1 21, W. Johnson 7 0-1 15, T. Young 6 0-1 15, C. Smith 5 0-0 11, C. Smith 3 0-0 6, N. Palmer 2 0-0 5, N. El-Hadie 1 0-0 3, S. Adamson 1 0-0 2, T. Green 1 0-0 2, G. Placecio 1 0-0 2, T. Wielgopolski 0 1-3 1, N. Holmand 0 0-0 0, J. Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, Totals 35 1-6 83. Wyoming Area (51) D. Wiedl 6 2-4 14, S. Solomon 6 1-2 13, C. Coolbaugh 4 0-0 11, N. Rubino 2 0-0 5, J. Greenfield 1 0-0 3, J. Navedo 1 0-0 3, J. Mikoliczyk 1 0-1 2, J. Wiedl 0 0-0 0, E. Melberger 0 0-0 0, F. Braccini 0 0-0 0, N. Elko 0 0-0 0, Totals 21 3-7 51. GAR 20 22 20 21—83 Wyoming Area 15 8 13 15—51 3-point goals: J. O’Day (GAR) 5, T. Young (GAR) 3, W. Johnson (GAR) 1, C. Smith (GAR) 1, N. El-Hadie (GAR) 1, N. Palmer (GAR) 1, C. Coolbaugh (WA) 3, J. Navedo (WA) 1, N. Rubino (WA) 1, J. Greenfield (WA) 1.
Holy Redeemer 65, Northwest 51 At Northwest, Nick Prociak helped Holy Redeemer come out of the gates on fire, scoring 12 points in the first quarter of a Royals win. Prociak finished with 24 points. Collin Cook added 19 points for Redeemer. Northwest’s Sam Saxe had 17 points. Bryce Koser added 11 points and Walker Yaple 10. Holy Redeemer (65) N. Prociak 10 3-5 24, C. Cook 8 0-0 19, M. Mendygral 3 0-0 7, J. Andrejko 2 1-4 6, D. Answini 2 0-0 5, J. Shoats 2 0-0 4, M. Prociak 0 0-0 0, M. Carty 0 0-0 0, Totals 27 4-9 65. Northwest (51) S. Saxe 6 0-0 17, B. Koser 4 3-4 11, W. Yaple 3 2-4 10, T. Stevens 3 2-6 8, J. Yaple 2 0-0 5, Totals 18 7-14 51. Holy Redeemer 21 14 18 12—65 Northwest 15 11 15 10—51 3-point goals: C. Cook (HR) 3, J. Andrejko (HR) 1, M. Mendygral (HR) 1, D. Answini (HR) 1, N. Prociak (HR) 1, S. Saxe (NW) 5, W. Yaple (NW) 2, J. Yaple (NW) 1.
FROM PAGE B1
McGovern said. “For almost three hours he did personal training, and then for five hours he sat down and did a mock interview where they put you on camera. He gave tips and pointers about the interview process: How we should address them, questions they could ask. Then he went rapid fire to try and throw you off guard. There is so much behind the scenes that I never really knew about.” McGovern said a few NFL teams have already reached out to him to set up an interview. He will leave for Indianapolis on Feb. 26. The first three days are physicals and interviews, and on the third day he will go through the bench press. The fourth day is when he will do all the running and testing on the field. “Training is going well,” McGovern said. “All my times are coming down. I am losing body fat and I am getting leaner and stronger. I’m very excited. I will finally get to show what I can do.” Contact the writer: sbennett@citizensvoice.com; 570 821-2062; @CVSteveBennett on Twitter
FRANK C. LAURI / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
GAR’s Tyreek Green (23) tries to shoot over Wyoming Area’s Jason Wiedl during Thursday’s game.
WVC BASKETBALL ROUNDUP Meyers (50) B. Masker 6 1-1 13, K. Brewster 2 4-6 8, C. Walker 4 0-0 8, J. Diggs 3 0-0 7, K. Brewster 2 3-4 7, J. Gilgallon 2 1-1 5, F. Colbett 1 0-0 2, I. Solomon 0 0-0 0, B. Bynon 0 0-0 0, J. Yancey 0 0-0 0, W. Gumbs 0 0-0 0, R. Casey 0 0-0 0, N. Hood 0 0-0 0, D. Kasper 0 0-0 0, Totals 20 9-12 50. Berwick (26) Z. Evans 3 3-7 9, J. Groshek 2 3-4 7, M. Doll 1 1-2 4, B. Boone 1 0-1 2, P. Williams 1 0-0 2, N. Smith 1 0-0 2, D. Smith 0 0-0 0, W. Arndt 0 0-0 0, J. Seely 0 0-2 0, E. Montes 0 0-0 0, T. Taylor 0 0-2 0, Totals 9 7-18 26. Meyers 10 17 14 9—50 Berwick 4 2 10 10—26 3-point goals: J. Diggs (Mey) 1, M. Doll (Ber) 1.
Valley West 12 18 12 10—52 Crestwood 9 12 20 20—61 3-point goals: T. Federici (WVW) 4, C. Michak (WVW) 4, D. Gibbons (WVW) 2, C. Boris (Crest) 3, M. Palmiero (Crest) 1, F. Casarella (Crest) 1, S. Murphy (Crest) 1.
Dallas 79, Coughlin 59 At Dallas, Nick Nocito scored 20 points and paced the Mountaineers Hanover Area (64) in a win. A. Whitehead 6 6-6 18, K. Carson 8 2-4 18, E. Materna 4 0-0 11, J. Kopko 2 2-2 6, L. Nelson 1 1-2 3, R. Bohlin 1 0-0 3, Luke DelGaudio (14 points) and M. Merth 1 0-0 2, M. Barber 0 2-2 2, A. George 0 1-2 1, J. Jack Farrell (10) joined Nocito in douZola 0 0-0 0, J. Fondeur 0 0-0 0, T. Kolbicka 0 0-0 0, C. Tunkhannock 45, Nanticoke Area 44 Cribbs 0 0-0 0, B. Sabecky 0 0-0 0, J. Curcio 0 0-0 0, Totals ble-figures scoring. 23 14-18 64. At Tunkhannock, Ryan Harder Brandon Hall led Coughlin with 22 MMI Prep (36) M. Marchetti 6 1-2 13, M. Marchetti 4 0-0 11, M. Kas- drained six 3-pointers and scored 20 points and Aaron Bennett added 10. sick 4 1-4 9, K. Hoover 0 3-3 3, A. Jordan 0 0-2 0, T. Degenpoints for Tunkhannock. hart 0 0-0 0, Totals 14 5-11 36. Coughlin (59) Hanover Area 21 12 13 18—64 B. Hall 10 2-5 22, A. Bennett 4 0-0 10, M. Senape 3 Tyler Faux added 15 points in a big MMI Prep 12 10 9 5—36 0-0 7, M. Egidio 2 0-0 6, A. Egidio 2 1-2 5, H. Avilia 1 0-0 3-point goals: E. Materna (HA) 3, R. Bohlin (HA) 1, M. win for the Tigers. 3, K. Joseph 1 0-0 2, A. Kulikowich 1 0-0 2, S. Valenzuela Marchetti (MMI) 3. Nate Kreitzer scored 16 points to 0 1-2 1, P. Allen 0 1-2 1, J. Day 0 0-0 0, D. Jones 0 0-0 0, 0 0-0 0, T. Zavada 0 0-0 0, S. Yearwood 0 0-0 0, lead Nanticoke Area, which dropped L.E. Berry Kimmeng 0 0-0 0, Totals 24 5-11 59. Wyoming Seminary 76, Lake-Lehman 27 from sole possession of first place in Dallas (79) At Lake-Lehman, Dimitri Gnall WVC Division 2 to a share of the lead N. Nocito 6 5-5 20, L. DelGaudio 5 4-5 14, J. Farrell 5 0-0 10, A. Finarelli 3 0-0 8, D. Schuster 3 1-2 7, J. Finscored 15 points and Jeremy Callahan with GAR. arelli 3 0-0 7, L. Evanosky 3 0-0 6, S. Nocito 2 0-0 4, C. added 11 for Sem, which had 12 players Killian 1 0-0 3, B. Chopyak 0 0-0 0, D. Lojewski 0 0-0 0, J. Nanticoke Area (44) Wienckoski 0 0-0 0, Totals 31 10-12 79. score in a win on the road. N. Kreitzer 4 5-5 16, J. Krupinski 4 0-0 10, T. Krupinski Coughlin 10 9 18 22—59 Todd Phillips added seven points for 2 4-4 8, C. Butczynski 3 1-2 7, J. Bielecki 1 0-0 3, C. Dallas 20 28 18 13—79 Brown 0 0-0 0, A. Kozlofski 0 0-2 0, D. Szychowski 0 0-0 3-point goals: M. Egidio (Cou) 2, A. Bennett (Cou) 2, Sem and Nick Ganter had six. Lehm- 0, L. Myers 0 0-0 0, Totals 14 10-13 44. M. Senape (Cou) 1, H. Avilia (Cou) 1, N. Nocito (Dal) 3, an’s Donnie Thompson had nine Tunkhannock (45) A. Finarelli (Dal) 2, C. Killian (Dal) 1, J. Finarelli (Dal) 1. R. Harder 7 0-0 20, T. Faux 6 2-3 15, E. Bennett 1 0-0 points. 3, N. Reposa 1 0-0 3, A. Billings 1 0-0 2, J. Chilson 1 0-0 Wyoming Seminary (76) D. Gnall 7 1-2 15, E. Meuser 5 2-3 14, J. Callahan 4 0-0 11, T. Phillips 3 0-0 7, N. Ganter 1 4-6 6, A. Meuser 2 0-0 5, J. Koretz 2 1-1 5, G. Flanley 1 1-3 4, A. Murphy 2 0-0 4, A. Maddock 1 0-0 3, N. Bufalino 0 1-2 1, J. Coates 0 1-2 1, J. Amend 0 0-0 0, B. Paglia 0 0-0 0, Totals 28 11-19 76. Lake-Lehman (27) D. Thompson 3 1-2 9, M. Paczewski 2 0-0 5, E. Adams 1 2-4 4, J. Kane 2 0-0 4, S. Sabaluski 1 0-0 3, C. Cercone 1 0-0 2, C. Cragle 0 0-0 0, N. Salus 0 0-0 0, N. Dougherty 0 0-0 0, Totals 10 3-6 27. Wyoming Seminary 20 23 19 14—76 Lake-Lehman 5 5 8 9—27 3-point goals: J. Callahan (Sem) 3, E. Meuser (Sem) 2, G. Flanley (Sem) 1, A. Maddock (Sem) 1, A. Meuser (Sem) 1, T. Phillips (Sem) 1, D. Thompson (LL) 2, S. Sabaluski (LL) 1, M. Paczewski (LL) 1.
113: Cavan Kinne (CRS) maj. dec. Michael Martinez, 13-4. 120: Maximo Mendez (CRS) pinned Beck Hutchinson, 3:12. 126: Shane Hanson-Ashworth (CRS) maj. dec Jorven Rodriguez, 14-5. 132: Braden Ricchini (CRS), tech. fall Christian Kislan 18-3. 138: Josh Kahn (CRS) pinned Stephen Martisofski, :48. 145: Charles Everdale (HAZ) dec. Eric Woloshyn 7-6. 152: Cole Flanagan (CRS) dec. Bryce Molinaro 6-3. 160: Matt Colajezzi (CRS) maj. dec Dante Matarella, 9-0. 170: Nik Korbick (CRS) dec. Jake Marnell, 3-2. 182: Jayson Brielmeier (HAZ) dec. Giani Gilch, 2-0. 195: Seth Hunsinger (HAZ) dec. Peter Eklund, 10-5. 220: No match. 285: Shane Noonan (HAZ) pinned Dom Ditri, 2:16. 106: Kyle Waterman (CRS) maj. dec. Johnny Corra 13-0.
MCGOVERN: prepared In the meantime, McGovern will continue his work at the EXOS facility where he is one of 35 potential draft picks working out with designs set on impressing every one of the NFL organizations. Along with the basics, such as working on his 40-yard dash time, pro agility and bench press, McGovern received a good idea of what the interview portion of the event is all about. “We’re working on everything that we will be doing at the combine, and a little bit of football,” McGovern said. “We are doing board work, football IQ and general field drills. We’ve had people come down and help us with the Wonderlic test. There are going to be so many interviews where we will meet with each team. I even went through interview training.” McGovern said the interview training was one of the most unique experiences he has gone through since the whole process began. “They brought down a former GM of the Raiders,”
At Wyoming Area, GAR put up a strong scoring performance, with 21 points from Jared O’Day and 15 apiece from Will Johnson and Tyler Young to defeat the host Warriors 83-51. Curtis Smith added 11 points in the win. For Wyoming Area, Dan Wiedl had 14 points and Sam Solomon had 13.
Hanover Area 64, MMI Prep 36 At MMI Prep, Khairi Carson neared a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals to lead Hanover Area to victory. Asad Whitehead also scored 18 points and added 11 rebounds. Evan Materna joined them in double figures scoring with 11 points. Mason Marchetti (13 points) and Matt Marchetti (11) accounted for 24 MMI points.
personal undefeated season going, pinning Dom Ditri 16 seconds into the second round of their 285-pound match, highlighting the Cougars’ day. It was a day, though, that belonged to Council Rock South from the first whistle. T h e G o l d e n H aw k s racked up two pins, two major decisions and a technical fall to build a 25-0 lead. Hazleton Area got its first points when Charles Everdale (145 pounds) won a 7-6 decision, getting the winning point on an escape with a minute left in the final period. After Council Rock South got two more decisions and one more major decision, Hazleton Area reeled off three straight wins. Jayson Brielmeier (182) won a 2-0 decision off the strength of a first-period
takedown. Seth Hunsinger (195) surrendered an early takedown, but quickly got a reversal and near fall to take the lead. He led 6-3 after one period and took the match 10-5. Noonan built a 5-0 lead after one period and led 8-0 at the time of his pin. C o u n c i l Ro c k S o u t h picked up one more major decision when the lineup flipped back to 106 to close the match.
2, J. Robinson 0 0-0 0, Totals 17 2-3 45. Nanticoke Area 15 11 7 11—44 Tunkhannock 15 11 12 7—45 3-point goals: N. Kreitzer (NA) 3, J. Krupinski (NA) 2, J. Bielecki (NA) 1, R. Harder (Tunk) 6, E. Bennett (Tunk) 1, N. Reposa (Tunk) 1, T. Faux (Tunk) 1.
Crestwood 61, Valley West 52 At Crestwood, Camden Boris scored 15 points to lead the Comets, who also got 13 points from Sean Murphy and 11 from Mike Palmiero. Ryan Petrosky added nine for Crestwood, while Tom Federici and Christian Michak scored 14 points Meyers 50, Berwick 26 apiece for Valley West. Tyler GilAt Berwick, Blake Masker scored 13 lespie scored 12 for Valley West. points, Keegan Brewster added eight West (52) more, and visiting Meyers won its sec- Valley T. Federici 5 0-0 14, C. Michak 5 0-0 14, T. Gillespie 5 2-4 ond game in a row. 12, D. Gibbons 2 2-2 8, S. Portee 2 0-1 4, J. Lombardo 0 0-0 0, R. Hamad 0 0-0 0, A. Jamison 0 0-0 0, Totals 19 4-7 52. Kendall Brewster and Jordan Diggs Crestwood (61) added seven points apiece for Meyers. C. Boris 6 0-1 15, S. Murphy 4 4-7 13, M. Palmiero 4 2-4 R. Petrosky 2 5-6 9, F. Casarella 2 0-0 5, B. Papura 2 Berwick’s Zach Evans scored nine 11, 1-3 5, J. Zaleski 1 1-2 3, A. Gegaris 0 0-0 0, P. Feisel 0 0-0 points. 0, Totals 21 13-23 61.
Girls Basketball
At GAR, Renny Murphy scored a game-high 18 points, while Katie Star r added 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead Berwick over GAR, 58-22. The win was the 200th for Berwick coach Bill Phillips. Megan Dalo scored 11 points and had 10 rebounds for Berwick. Gloria Adjayi led GAR with nine points. Hanah Cook finished with six. Berwick (58) R. Murphy 5 7-8 18, K. Starr 6 5-10 17, M. Dalo 5 1-3 11, J. Michael 1 0-0 3, M. Force 1 1-2 3, J. Nevel 1 0-0 2, E. Novicki 0 2-2 2, S. Miedaner 1 0-0 2, A. Burt 0 0-0 0, E. Ouimet 0 0-0 0, Totals 20 16-25 58. GAR (22) G. Adjayi 3 3-4 9, H. Cook 2 1-2 6, O. Prato 0 3-4 3, M. Savage 1 0-0 2, V. Luna 1 0-0 2, L. Pena 0 0-0 0, E. Engle 0 0-0 0, R. Holden 0 0-0 0, N. Germano 0 0-0 0, K. Coleman 0 0-2 0, E. Leonard 0 0-2 0, Totals 7 7-14 22. Berwick 12 17 10 19—58 GAR 7 5 7 3—22 3-point goals: R. Murphy (Ber) 1, J. Michael (Ber) 1, H. Cook (GAR) 1.
FRANK C. LAURI / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Pittston Area’s Sevion Leak drives to the basket during Thursday’s game against Hazleton Area.
COUGARS: Strong D FROM PAGE B1
Joseph praised his team’s defensive effort, which included several blocked shots inside. He said a focus was placed on staying in front of Mike George, Brennan Higgins and Logan Booth, who have combined for nearly 300 foul shots this season. “I think for the most part, we did that,” Joseph said. “I don’t think it’s a false statement when you say ‘Defense wins championships.’ And I think our defense has put us in position now to have a chance to play for the championship if we take care of what we need to on Saturday night.” The Cougars didn’t let the Patriots sniff a comeback in the third quarter, when junior Scott Campbell scored seven of his eight points. Seniors Sparky Wolk and Kyle Franek finished with 10 and eight points, respectively, as 11 players found the basket. Andrew Krawczyk scored nine points and Mike George had seven to lead the Patriots, who were held to eight field goals but went 15 of 19 from the
foul line. They shook off early shooting woes in time to tie the game after a period, but 18-percentshootingfromthefloorwas not nearly enough to keep up with Hazleton Area’s 53-percent night. “We missed a lot more shots, and they made some more,” Kiesinger said. “We’ve had nights like that, but I still felt pretty good even when were down 17-0. ... I thought some of our guys would make some shots in that second quarter and tighten it up, and it just didn’t happen.” Contact the writer: eshultz@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2054; @CVEricShultz on Twitter. Hazleton Area (69) D. Faison 8 0-0 18, R. Wolk 4 0-1 10, S. Campbell 3 1-3 8, K. Franek 2 2-2 7, J. Moronta-Alvarez 3 0-0 7, W. Seigendall 2 1-2 5, N. Norman 1 2-4 4, R. Melendez 1 1-2 3, A. D’Angelo 1 0-0 3, K. Gil 1 0-0 2, J. Nieves 1 0-0 2, A. Vayda 0 0-0 0, Totals 27 7-14 69. Pittston Area (32) A. Krawczyk 3 2-3 9, M. George 1 5-5 7, L. Booth 0 4-6 4, B. Higgins 1 2-2 4, S. Leak 1 0-0 2, J. Walsh 1 0-0 2, E. Elko 0 2-2 2, A. Hoban 1 0-0 2, E. Ganham 0 0-0 0, D. Januzzi 0 0-0 0, A. Penxa 0 0-0 0, A. Thomas 0 0-0 0, D. Behm 0 0-0 0, M. Johnson 0 0-1 0, M. Macaluso 0 0-0 0, Totals 8 15-19 32. Hazleton Area 10 19 16 24—69 Pittston Area 10 3 12 7—32 3-point goals: R. Wolk (Haz) 2, D. Faison (Haz) 2, A. D’Angelo (Haz) 1, S. Campbell (Haz) 1, K. Franek (Haz) 1, J. MorontaAlvarez (Haz) 1, A. Krawczyk (PA) 1.
WB_VOICE/PAGES [B01] | 03/01/19
23:14 | CONNORSSTE
tHE CItIzEns’ VOICE
Sports SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2019
NFL
McGovern pleased with showing at combine BY STEVE BENNETT StAFF WritEr
The initial numbers are in, and by the time Lake-Lehman grad Connor McGovern was on his way to the airport Friday afternoon to catch a flight back to Pensacola, Florida, the offensive guard was pretty pleased with his performance over the
course of the last four days at the NFL combine. One of 57 offensive linemen invited to the annual event where NFL draft hopefuls are reviewed, interviewed and paraded around in front of NFL scouts and front office personnel to evaluate and analyze, McGovern felt pretty good about his body of work.
“It really wasn’t too bad,” said McGovern, who played three years on the offensive line for the Nittany Lions and declared for the NFL draft after Penn State’s bowl game on Jan. 1, the end of his junior season. “It was very hectic. It was a great opportunity and I was fortunate to be there. It was a lot of fun;
it was non-stop for four days.” He said he was up from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Wednesday. He had 17 formal interviews with NFL teams and met with others informally, though he was not at liberty to divulge which teams he interviewed with. Please see MCGOVERN, Page B6
DISTRICT 2 BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
COMETS COLLIDE
Reigning state title winner Abington Heights survives strong effort from Crestwood
CHriStopHEr doLAN / StAFF pHotoGrApHEr
Crestwood’s Sean Murphy moves the ball past Abington Heights’ Jack Nealon during the Class 5A championship Friday night. BY MATT BUFANO StAFF WritEr
WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Abington Heights continued its district dynasty Friday night, winning its eighth straight championship. But it wasn’t for lack of trying by Crestwood. Crestwood slowed the game to a crawl in the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena, forcing the reigning state cham-
pions to play right into Crestwood’s hands. “We figured they were going to do that, had some tapes that I watched,” said Abington Heights head coach Ken Bianchi. “That’s why it was so important to take a lead. For as little of a lead it is, it’s still a lead.” Abington Heights accepted Crestwood’s challenge of playing a slowpaced game, but eventually sped it up,
WRESTLING
taking control with seniors George Tinsley (20 points, seven rebounds) and Trey Koehler (15 points, nine boards) leading No. 1 Abington Heights to a 43-36 win in the District 2 Class 5A title game. “Here’s what I just told our guys,” said Crestwood head coach Mark Atherton. Please see COMETS, Page B3
INSIDE Hazleton Area girls, Holy Cross girls claim district 2 titles. Page B3
BoB GAEtANo / CoNtriBUtiNG pHotoGrApHEr
Crusaders freshman Cooper Price, top, gets a win at 106 pounds.
Price makes mark at regional BY ERIC SHULTZ StAFF WritEr
BETHLEHEM — A slam to the mat couldn’t completely take the air out of Cooper Price’s postseason surge. Price, a 106-pound freshman on Coughlin wrestling, debuted at last week’s District 2 Class 3A tour nament with three convincing wins and a championship. His performance earned him one of two first-round byes at this weekend’s Northeast Regional tournament. The next stage of the postseason didn’t seem to bother Price at all in his quarterfinal match against Bethlehem Liberty’s Connor Werner. Price picked up four quick points and seemed to be in the clear early. That’s when Werner tried to get up for an escape and lifted Price’s entire bodyweight off the mat as Price stayed on his back. Wrestling was whistled dead, but Wer ner fell backward and pancaked Price with a loud thud. It was the hardest shot Price dealt with all Friday evening. He recovered in no time and won with a pin in 3:09, becoming the first of five Wyoming Valley Conference wrestlers to advance to today’s regional semifinals at Liberty. “I got the wind knocked out of me, but I knew I was going to get back up and I was going to pin him,” Price said. “I want to go as far as I can and hopefully win the state title, first for Coughlin and their last one ever,” he added. Price, Valley West senior David Krokowski (126 pounds), Dallas seniors Steven Newell (182) and Shawn Henninger (285) and Hazleton Area senior Shane Noonan (220) are in the semifinals. They’re one more win from reaching a regional final as well as next week’s PIAA tournament. T h e L a c k aw a n n a League is also represented in the semis. Please see 3A, Page B5
DISTRICT 2 SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Mahler has record-breaking day
Sem’s Kolbicka, Dallas’ Leonard & Dukinas also swim to 2A gold. BY TONY MALUSO SportS Editor
WILKES-BARRE — Whether it’s the first one or the latest in a string of them, any gold medal carries special weight. Four Wyoming Valley Conference individual swimmers
INSIDE For more on the Class 2A and 3A district Swimming Championships, see Page B4. and one relay team reached the top of the podium Friday claiming gold medals during the first day of the District 2 Class 2A Swimming Championships at the Wyoming Valley CYC. The smile stretched ear
to ear on the face of Wyoming Seminary’s Kylee Kolbicka after the junior left the pool following her win in the 100 butterfly for her first gold. “It’s amazing, I’ve never won an individual (district) race,” Kolbicka said. “It felt so good. I’ve been swimming butterfly my entire life, so it felt really good to win.” At the other end of the spectrum is Holy Redeemer’s A d a m M a h l e r, w h o ’ s
amassed quite a collection of medals throughout his career, including last year’s PIAA gold in the 100 butterfly. He picked up two more on Friday, winning the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle. “Each (gold medal) is different,” he said. “Each one has its own special worth to me.” So do the records he’s set. Please see 2A, Page B4
dAVE SCHErBENCo / StAFF pHotoGrApHEr
Holy Redeemer senior Adam Mahler swims the 200 freestyle Friday.
WB_VOICE/PAGES [B06] | 03/01/19
23:17 | CONNORSSTE
SPORTS
B6 THE CITIZENS' VOICE
SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2019
Penguins solve McIntyre in shootout for win By TyleR PiCCOTTi STAFF WRITER
For three periods and overtime, both Tristan Jarry and Zane McIntyre were locked in between the pipes. But once the shootout started, the Penguins found an opening against their former playoff nemesis. Ben Sexton was the first to beat McIntyre, and Joseph Cramarossa scored for the third timethisseasonwithhispatented backhand move as WilkesBarre/Scranton posted an important 2-1 win over ProvidenceatDunkin’DonutsCenter. With the victory, the Penguins jumped past Lehigh Valley into fifth place in the
AHl
lineup note
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Cramarossa’s tally put the later drew a power play, but bow on the game. He was the could not score. top star as a result.
Atlantic Division. Three stars Jarry made 34 saves and ■ Defenseman Chris Widestopped both of his shootout man picked up an assist in chances. his Penguins debut and was The turning point physical with the Bruins Ethan Prow, who had the throughout the game. He was game’s first goal only 44 sec- star No. 3. onds into the third period, ■ Providence’s Chris also had a crucial play in Breen was named the No. 2 3-on-3 overtime. star for his game-tying goal The Bruins were skating at 5:46 of the third period. It toward Jarry on what looked was only his second goal of like a clean 2-on-1 rush, but the season. Prow intercepted a saucer ■ Sexton’s shootout goal pass out of midair and sent was his second with the Penthe puck along the boards to guins and technically the let the Penguins reset. game winner, even though
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Wideman was paired with veteran Tim Erixon on the blue line in his debut.
Stat to know
McIntyre had been perfect Up next in shootouts entering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton game, going 6 for 6 before allowing two goals on Friday. will look to win its third straight game at 7:30 tonight The takeaway as it closes out its trip to New Every win is crucial at this England against the Hartford point in the season, and the Wolf Pack at XL Center. Penguins started their short Contact the writer: tpiccotti@citizensvoice.com; road trip on a high note. Providence has cooled off 570-821-2089; on Twitter of late with only four wins in @CVPiccotti Penguins 00101—2 10 games, and Wilkes-Barre/ Providence 00100—1 First period: Scoring None. PenalScranton is now in striking ties - WBS, Angello, slashing 1:01; WBS, distance with one game in Scarfo, roughing 11:19; Prov, Frederic, slashing 11:19; WBS, Angello, slashing hand. 16:28; Prov, Breen, holding 19:36.
lOCAl COlleGeS Women’s Basketball Misericordia advanced to the Eastern Collegiate Atheltic Conference semifinals with a 78-64 win over Widener at Cabrini. The Cougars improved to 23-5, with Rachel Carmody and Japriya Carroll each scoring 14 points. Misericordia was down 10 in the second quarter before taking its first lead with an 11-0 run and pulling away. The team will face NYU in
The Colonels finish at 19-10 the round of 4 for the second straight season at 6 p.m. overall. Senior Tommy Bowen led Wilkes with 22 points tonight at Cabrini. and seven rebounds in his Men’s Basketball final collegiate contest. The season ended for WilTrack and Field kes in dramamtic fashion, as Misericordia’s Tobi OlugRutgers Newark’s Mark Thomas hit a shot in the lane benga set a school record in with 10 seconds left to give the triple jump at the Allthe Scarlet Raiders a 72-70 Atlantic Region championwin in the quarterfinals of ships at Ithaca. Olugbenga placed fourth the ECAC Tournament on Friday. The game featured 12 in the event with a distance of 14.12 meters. lead changes.
nFl BRieFS neW yORK
Pet Pics will publish in The Citizens’ Voice Thursday, March 28 in connection with The SPCA of Luzerne County 2019 Pet Expo Section.
Colby Reginald Photos “IN MEMORY OF” a beloved pet are also welcome.Wallet-sized photos are the best. Photos will be returned if you provide a self addressed stamped envelope. Please complete the form, attach photo and mail or drop off to the address below by Wednesday, March 20.
Submit your pics online at: timesshamrockevents.com/cvpets Enclosed is my Pet Pics photo and check. Please check if photo is in MEMORY of ______ Pet’s name left to right. Name:______________________________________ Your Name:__________________________________ Address:____________________________________ Daytime Phone:_______________________________ Email:_______________________________________ Please make check payable to: The Citizens’ Voice Mail or drop off to: Pet Pics The Citizens’ Voice 75 N. Washington St. Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
Second period: Scoring - None. Penalties - Prov, Szwarz, tripping 0:11; WBS, Wideman, fighting 5:57; Prov, Blidh, fighting 5:57; WBS, Haggerty, tripping 10:12; Prov, Fitzgerald, holding 10:18. Third period: Scoring - 1, WBS, Prow (Wideman, Lafferty), 0:44; 2, Prov, Breen (Stempniak, Zboril), 5:46. Penalties WBS, Wideman, roughing 3:10; Prov, Doherty, roughing 3:10; WBS, Czuczman, unsportsmanlike conduct 4:40; WBS, Johnson, roughing 4:40; Prov, Clifton, roughing 4:40; Prov, Szwarz, goaltender interference 5:02; WBS, Blandisi, 10-minute misconduct 7:54; WBS, Erixon, cross-checking 8:46. Overtime: Scoring - None. Penalties - Prov, Zboril, hooking 3:16. Shootout: WBS - Miletic no, Sexton goal, Cramarossa goal; Prov - Carey no, Stempniak no. Shots on goal: WBS 7 10 14 9 1 - 41; Prov 11 10 12 2 0 - 35. Goaltenders: WBS, Jarry (34 saves on 35 shots; 2 for 2 in SO); Prov, McIntyre (39 saves on 40 shots; 1 for 3 in SO). Power-play opportunities: WBS 0 for 5; Prov 0 for 5. Referees: Troy Paterson and Alex Ross. Linesmen: Kevin Keenan and Todd Whittemore.
that threshold: Dallas, Buffalo, Indianapolis and Housleague salary cap ton. to jump $11 million League expenditures for benefits are $40.5 million per The NFL’s salary cap will jump $11 million next season team. Add that to the salary cap number and each club’s to $188.2 million. player costs are above $228 In the ninth year of the 10-year labor agreement, the million. Benefits includes pencap moves up from $177.2 sion payments to former million. It has increased in players; the Bell/Rozelle every year of the contract, with the biggest move in 2015 retirement and disability plan for active players; to 2016, when it went up by annuities and 401 (k) just under $12 million. plans; health care; injury This is the third year out of four in which clubs must protection and severance; veteran performancereach 89 percent in cash spending, and the NFL Play- based pay; a separate pool of performance-based pay ers Association said Friday that four teams are under that’s essentially a cash
bonus to players who outperform their contracts.
PHilAdelPHiA
Graham, eagles agree to deal The Philadelphia Eagles and defensive end Brandon Graham agreed to a threeyear contract extension. Graham had just four sacks last season after a career-high 9½ in 2017, including a strip-sack on Tom Brady to secure Philadelphia’s 41-33 victory over New England in the Super Bowl in February 2018. — AssociAted Press
MCGOveRn: Lehman graduate completes time at NFL combine FROM PAGE B1
Along with the getting-toknow-one-another portion of the interviews, McGovern said he did a lot of boardwork where teams would draw up plays and he would have to diagram. Film from some of his games at Penn State was also evaluated. “It was all different kinds of things,” McGovern said. “They put me on the board and asked me how I recognized defenses and talked about plays I ran at Penn State and what I was doing on certain plays. They told me what I could have done better, and they talked about my good plays. Some teams showed their offense to me and I had to learn their
schemes and teach them back to them. I think I knocked it out of the park. Everyone was impressed with my boardwork.” As for his measurables, McGovern checked in at 6-foot-5, 308 pounds, approximately 15 pounds down from his playing weight at Penn State. His arms measured 34 1/8”, while his hands measured 9 7/8”. He finished with 28 reps on the bench press, 112.0 inches in the broad jump, ran the 3-cone drill in 7.66 seconds and turned in a time of 4.57 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle. All numbers that ranked him within the top 10 of the offensive linemen. McGovern said he will continue to train in Pensaco-
la, and return to Penn State on March 15. He will participate in Penn State’s Pro Day, scheduled for March 19. “I think I did very well,” McGovern said. “So far, I have been getting positive feedback. I had four hours of sleep before I did the bench press. I think when I was my fatter self I could have been in the low 30s no problem with the bench press. Dropping about 15 pounds I got to 28. This was a great experience. There were a lot of meetings. All the free time you were supposed to have you were talking to teams.” Contact the writer: sbennett@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2062; @CVSteveBennett on Twitter
Friday, April 5th at Holy Redeemer High School
ATTENTION!
mily Members Parents, Fam of All-Star Players & Boosterr Clubs
Place a congratulatory Ad in the official program! For more information contact Jim Reeser at 570-821-2065 or jreeser@citizensvoice.com
Proceedds Benefit:
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Game Times: Girls - 6:30PM Boys - 8:00PM
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CELEBRATING
Numerous Local Charities & Families with Medical Needs Preliminary rounds of 3-point shootout: 6PM on April 1 at Coughlin High School
WB_VOICE/PAGES [B01] | 04/20/19
20:49 | CONNORSSTE
tHE CItIzEns’ VOICE
Sports SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2019
THE DREAM STARTED HERE NFL prospect McGovern showed early greatness across the Wyoming Valley BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITER
Most watching one particular 6-yearold run up the down the soccer field in Plymouth knew it wouldn’t be long before he traded in his shorts and shin guards for the shoulder pads and helmet of the Ed-Lark Hurricanes. Connor McGovern once played soccer, but that proved to be a brief blip on the radar, long before he spent his Sun-
PENGUINS
days traveling across the Wyoming Valley as a mini football player, playing for the Hurricanes. He played against kids maybe twice his size, and they had truly no idea where the little kid they were dominating would eventually wind up. McGovern’s destination will ultimately be learned later this week when the NFL draft begins Thursday night. Some see McGovern as a potential late firstround pick. Others see him going in the
second, while most mock drafts have him being selected no later than the third round. For now, all that is just speculation. McGovern put the work in, from the mini football field in Larksville to the high school stadiums around the Wyoming Valley Conference to Penn State’s Beaver Stadium and beyond. Please see MCGOVERN, Page B4
THE ANCHOR TRACK & FIELD
Fifth runner takes Valley West relay to finish line THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
Sam Lafferty made his case this season to be a future Pittsburgh Penguin.
Young talent still the norm for WBS BY TYLER PICCOTTI STAFF WRITER
WILKES-BARRE — Getting to the Calder Cup playoffs is always a goal for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and they came up a little bit short despite their best efforts. But focusing too much on standings points and potential tiebreakers diverted from the more important takeaway from the season’s final weeks. When it comes to the future of Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the well is far from dry in terms of young players with great potential. With big names like Garrett Wilson and Teddy Blueger promoted to the NHL — and others like Thomas Di Pauli sidelined by injury — the Penguins were reliant on their rookies and youthful depth throughout 2018-19. Four of their first-year players played in 61 or more games, and it would have been five if not for midseason injuries to Sam Miletic. As the season wound down, college products like Jake Lucchini and Chase Berger played a significant role in the postseason chase. Littered throughout were noteworthy performances, especially by Miletic and forward Sam Lafferty. “They’ve made huge strides. They’re both going to be competing for games in Pittsburgh next year,” Penguins head coach Clark Donatelli said.
FRANK C. LAURI / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Valley West’s Lauren Konopke, left, takes the baton from Jillian Bonczewski to run the “fifth lap” of the 1600-meter relay. BY ERIC SHULTZ STAFF WRITER
WRIGHT TWP. — The fourth runner of Valley West’s 4x400 girls relay crossed the finish line — and then made a clean baton exchange. From there, Lauren Konopke began the fifth lap of the Spartans’ unique “5-by-4” relay during a recent track and field meet at Crestwood. Konopke started strong around the first turn, passing applause from some lacrosse players about to warm up for a game. She was all alone for the first 100 meters of her
run, but the track quickly filled up as she made her way down its backstretch. Spartans teammates from the girls and boys teams hustled across the infield turf and gathered behind Konopke. Every lane became crowded as she set the lead pace and took her team to the finish line of a close victory for Valley West’s girls. At this meet, and all others this season, Valley West isn’t done until Konopke finishes her relay’s fifth lap. It’s a tradition that’s gained steam over her three years on the team, to the point that even throwers
and opposing competitors join in for the day’s last event. It’s just one part of Konopke’s duties as a runner and assistant to coach Mallory Lewis during track and field season. “I love it so much,” Konopke said at a Spartans practice. Now a senior, Konopke has come a long way to get to her 400-meter finale. As her mother, Maria, explained in an email, Konopke is missing part of her 10th chromosome, a condition without a name or real prognosis. She also persevered through a number of other obsta-
cles in the first few months and years of her life. Maria said Lauren wouldn’t eat at birth, and trips to the NICU and Hershey Medical Center resulted in a diagnosis of bladder reflux, which went away without surgery. But weight and eating issues persisted through the first six months of Lauren’s life, and she began “extensive work” in physical, occupational and, later, speech therapy after the Konopkes determined she wasn’t meeting developmental milestones. Please see RELAY, Page B3
Please see PENS, Page B2
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WB_VOICE/PAGES [B04] | 04/20/19
21:29 | MALUSOANTH
SPORTS
B4 THE CITIZENS' VOICE
SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2019
COllege fOOTball
The transfer game now being played at Penn State DONNIE COLLINS Commentary
THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE
Connor McGovern was an anchor of Lake-Lehman’s Connor McGovern works out at the NFL scouting comoffensive line for four years. bine in March.
MCgOveRn: An impact player from the start FROM PAGE B1
He traveled to all the camps in high school, took part in the NFL Combine and worked tirelessly in the weight room, all with the dream of becoming an NFL lineman. And that is exactly where all the hard work is taking him. But before he got to this stage, McGovern was on a path similar to kids today. Working his way up through the ranks, participating in as many youth sports as possible, before finally realizing football was his ticket. “He was a big kid for 6 years old. That was the first year he could join the football program,” said Wayne Yankosky, McGovern’s coach on the Hurricanes. “The weight limit was 115 pounds. The thing with Connor was he never looked fat, he was just a big kid. I didn’t know him until I saw him playing soccer that one year in Plymouth. He wasn’t old enough for football. You just knew he was going to play football when he was old enough.” McGovern comes from an athletic family. His father, Jim, was a three-sport standout at Crestwood High School and eventually played football at Colgate. His mother, Maureen, was a basketball star at Bishop O’Reilly and then King’s College. His older brother A.J. played center at Valley West before being recruited to play at Army, and his other older brother, Tyler, was a pitcher at Chesapeake College before entering the Air Force. “I think a big part of it is he had two older brothers that were great at sports,” Yankosky said. “Connor had a lot of self-discipline. He knew what he had to do at practice and that is what he did.” Not only did Yankosky have the opportunity to coach McGovern in mini football, he was also his grade school basketball coach and Little League baseball coach. And that is where things got pretty entertaining for Yankosky. McGovern played on a basketball team with Yankosky’s son, Tyler, currently a flame-throwing reliever at Millersville University. Tyler played point guard and Connor played center. Baseball was quite a sight to see, as well. Yankosky not only coached McGovern and his own son, but also on the team were Justin Vought, currently a catcher at the University of Maryland, and Aaron Austin, the quarterback at Saint Vincent College. “Connor hit one of the longest home runs I have ever seen hit in Little League,” Yankosky said. “It was at West Pittston, and he hit it on top of the building in straight-away center field. He launched a few of them that year. Just a very coachable kid. He is a great kid. He never did anything that would make you want to get mad at him.”
THE CITIZENS VOICE FILE
Before he became a high-profile football star, Connor McGovern was a member of the 2010 West Side Little League team featuring a host of local players that have gone on to big things in a variety of sports. First row, from left, Daniel Kozich, Derrek Aufiero, Aaron Austin, Josh Ktytor, Justin Vought and Cory Yashinski. Second row, Marc Volack, Chad Fehey, Connor McGovern, Tyler Yankosky and Joshua Sokoloski. Third row, coach Tom Austin, coach Mike Kozick, manager Wayne Yankosky and assistant manager Jim McGovern. to bring a freshman up to the varsity and just let him stand around and be a practice kid. If Gilsky brings a player up, he expects him to perform. That was the case with McGovern. When he was given a varsity uniform in his freshman year, it wasn’t a matter of if he will get on the field, but when. As a freshman, McGovern checked in at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds. “I’m not a fan of bringing a freshman up just so he could pad his numbers,” Gilsky said. “I like to make sure if I bring a freshman up he is going to get game minutes. We had a senior at center. Unfortunately, he got hurt early in the season and Connor got a chance to start.” And he never left the field. But it was not as if McGovern was the dominating presence in the middle of the offensive line that he turned out to be. There was definitely a learning curve along the way. “Body-wise, he was lanky and he needed footwork,” Gilsky recalled. “His football IQ was very high and he knew how to play the position. We never put him in position where he was going to get blown up. Center was probably the safest position for him.” Eventually, as the season pro g ressed, McGover n began to get more comfortable at the position. As his high school career advanced, so did his skill level to the point where he would engulf opponents at the line of scrimmage. When he was done there, he would attack the second level and find a linebacker to clear out of the way.
He got mail
Initially, Gilsky and the Lake-Lehman staff didn’t really understand McGovern’s potential. But as he continued to grow, not only in height, but with the work in the weight room starting to show, the national attention from college coaches began to roll in. “Between his sophomore and junior year, that is when we starting sending film out,” Gilsky said. “We didn’t want to do it when he was too young. Originally, we were Center Stage hoping maybe a Division II Lake-Lehman football school or 1AA. Once he startcoach Jerry Gilsky is not one ed visiting camps, we started
getting phone calls. We thought maybe we were down-playing him a little bit. Then we saw the growth going into his junior year and how big he got. He started getting more recognition. Once he started going to camps, coaches were calling like crazy.” Between his sophomore and junior years, the interest level was sky-high. McGove r n s t a r t e d r e c e iv i n g requests for information by as many as 50 colleges and universities, including that year’s preseason No. 1, Florida State. McGovern ended up signing with Penn State, choosing to stay close to home so his family and friends had the opportunity to see him play on a regular basis.
Say anything Known more for what he did on the court or field, McGover n has a quiet demeanor about himself. He never really talked a lot. He just went about his business, did what was asked of him and continued to work to try to get better. “I had Connor when he was in 10th grade,” said former Lake-Lehman basketball coach Brian Cutter. “He was tough. He was about 6-foot-4. He was just learning the game at the time. I just told him to be patient.” And he was. Though he did get to start a few basketball games his sophomore year, McGovern kind of stayed in the background and worked on his game. “He was very quiet; he didn’t talk much then,” Cutter said. “He was one of those kids that knew his place and did what he was told. He was just really shy at the time. He is totally different now. I don’t think he felt it was his place to be vocal. Now, he is very outgoing. He is still as polite as he has always been and very respectful.” McGovern was the same way on the football field in his early years. But for a center, Gilsky needed him to be more vocal. “Early on, he was very quiet,” Gilsky said. “I told him he needed to have a voice. When you are a freshman and sophomore, you’re not going to be very outspoken.
By the time he was a senior, he was the voice. As a center, you have to call all the stunts, protections and alignments. I think his first season, he was just thinking more of himself. As a sophomore, he was getting better.”
The next chapter McGovern did everything necessary to reach this point of his career. Now, the time has come for all the hard work to pay off. But it’s the when and where that is left to be determined. Probably more the when than the where. While it is an exciting time, it can also be difficult sitting and waiting on the phone call that will change the course of his life. “When you see him in a position like this, I am just so proud of him,” Gilsky said. “It is everything that he did to get here. It is all the work he put in. He put himself in position to be coached by everyone. His family put in the time to take him places. It is the family that helped put him in this position. He surrounded himself with good people and he listened to everybody he knew that was on his side.” What set McGovern apart from everyone else was the way he attacked his goals. That included going to the weight room before or after a basketball g ame and doing his full workout, not cutting corners. He balanced his school work and attacked that just as furiously, enough to allow him to graduate high school in December of his senior year and enroll early at Penn State. There were the Sunday nights when he sacrificed video games to improve his footwork, hands and agility. All with one goal and one dream in mind. “I will never take any of the credit for a kid’s success,” Gilsky said. “He has been here at the school twice in the past two weeks. I can’t wait for Thursday, I’m a wreck. There is just so much anticipation and eagerness. I just want to have him turn that next page and let it be flipped.” Contact the writer: sbennett@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2062; @CVSteveBennett on Twitter
I
t’s the newest dramatic play appearing on stages all around college football. The last few weeks, it opened at Penn State, to predictably mixed reviews. Under the spotlight March 13, head coach James Franklin opened with a soliloquy, lamenting the state of college football in the early stages of the transfer portal era while praising the loyalty of the man who, at that time, seemed to be the shining example of what patience can provide. Tommy Stevens, the tall, powerful, speedy senior finally within grasp of the starting quarterback job with the Nittany Lions, could have transferred last offseason, Franklin pointed out. And, he stayed. Stayed, he said, with the “greatest tweet of all time,” a #WeAre and a clip from the movie The Wolf of Wall Street, where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character repeatedly says he isn’t leaving, despite pressure to do so. He wasn’t taking no for an answer. “With Tommy deciding to stay, I think you guys know that was a big deal for us,” Franklin said. “I think what we all hope is, at the end of the day, it’s a winwin for everybody. It’s a win for Tommy and his family, and it’s a win for Penn State.” Enter Stevens to the stage a few weeks later. Reserved, but confident as usual, his hands clutching the front of his shoulder pads. Still recovering from offseason surgery for an undisclosed foot injury, watching sophomore Sean Clifford take the bulk of the first team reps, but looking to the future. “There are no games in April,” Stevens said boldy. “It’s all about being ready for the season.” The next line went to Franklin, praising his quarterback group a week later, just three days before the annual Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium last Saturday. “At the quarterback position, we’ve created a pretty competitive room that is very supportive of one another,” he smiled. “That’s probably not really common nationally. That’s usually the room that people struggle with. “I probably shouldn’t say that. Knock on wood ...” Stevens didn’t play in the Blue-White Game, and his father, Tom, told the Centre Daily Times that if he wasn’t going to start at Penn State, he’d transfer. Three days later, he entered the transfer portal and deleted the “greatest tweet of all time.” On Thursday, his father told the CDT, Tommy Time would never be a thing at Penn State, and he perhaps wouldn’t be welcomed back anyway if he changed his mind. His son was taking his services elsewhere. What does this mean for Penn State in 2019? Probably not much. It delays the inevitable. Clifford, the sophomore wunderkind who some scouts feel can be a top NFL prospect someday, will take over the starting job a year earlier than anticipated if you assumed Stevens was going to step in. Right on time, if you weren’t sold on being No. 2 in the first place.
What does this mean for Penn State quarterbacks down the road? Quite a bit more. Let’s take a look at this realistically for a minute: Quarterbacks transferring — especially as a graduate transfer like Stevens — isn’t a new thing. It has been happening for years. Russell Wilson left North Carolina State for Wisconsin in 2011 after things fell apart with the Wolfpack, had a big season and went on to NFL stardom. Michigan needed a quarterback last season and brought in Shea Patterson. Ohio State needed one in 2019 and brought Justin Fields into the mix. Keeping Stevens in the fold to back up starter Trace McSorley last season seemed like quite a coup for that reason. He’d have been an even bigger commodity last year, with two years of eligibility left. To its credit, Penn State had managed to remain immune to the reality that star quarterback recruits who develop in one place sometimes wind up finding their best opportunities to pursue their NFL dreams elsewhere. There are only 65 starting quarterback jobs available in major-conference, majorcollege football, remember. The competition for those jobs is fierce given what’s at stake professionally. That’s great news for Stevens, who has the absolute right to pursue a guaranteed starting spot. Or, at least, to look for a school where the competition is not quite as capable as Clifford proved to be. It has to be as frustrating for Penn State as it is great for Stevens, though. Franklin’s staff put four years of development into him, and really, they got a few fun snaps out of the ridiculous Lion position to show for it. This probably should rank as an end-of-the-innocence moment for Franklin and his staff moving forward. They don’t have the magic words. They don’t have the potion. If Stevens — who might still have been the favorite to be the starter this fall — can put four years into the system and ultimately leave because he didn’t get a guarantee, anyone can. Everyone else’s issues keeping a quarterback room together are now Franklin’s. The good news for Penn State is it was so deep at quarterback, it can conceivably replace Stevens’ immense talent rather immediately and without much of an issue. The bad news is it’s still so deep at quarterback, and still so young, that playing time is going to be even more difficult to gain for freshmen like Will Levis, Ta’Quan Roberson and Michael Johnson Jr. Especially at that position, you want the competition, because it pushes everyone to be better. You also want stability, and now that Stevens has opened the gate, it may wind up being difficult to close. In a month, Tommy Stevens went from a shining example to gone. And now, Penn State has to scramble to adjust, just like everyone else. DOnnIe COllInS is a sports columnist for TimesShamrock. Contact him at dcollins@timesshamrock.com and follow him on Twitter @DonnieCollinsTT
WB_VOICE/PAGES [B01] | 04/24/19
22:12 | MALUSOANTH
tHE CItIzEns’ VOICE
Sports THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
IN POSITION ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE
Ben Roethlisberger agreed to a contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Steelers, Big Ben agree to extension BY WILL GRAVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have reiterated repeatedly during an eventful offseason that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger remains the team’s unquestioned leader. They have handed him a new deal to prove it. The Steelers and the twotime Super Bowl winner agreed to terms on a contract extension Wednesday that will keep Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh through the 2021 season. Roethlisberger had been set to enter the final year of a contract he signed in 2015. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Roethlisberger figures to get a significant pay bump over the $12 million he was due (with a $23 million cap hit) in 2019. “It has always been a goal to play my entire career in Pittsburgh,” Roethlisberger said in a statement. “This is home for me and my family, and we love this city. I am as excited to be a Steeler in Year 16 as I was when they drafted me. They will get my absolute best.” Please see STEELERS, Page B4
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE
Penn State offensive lineman Connor McGovern runs a drill at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis in March. McGovern is expected to be selected within the first few rounds of the NFL draft, which begins today.
Versatile McGovern has worked to become an appealing draft prospect BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITER
Since electing to leave college early, declaring for the NFL following Penn State’s bowl game, Connor McGovern did everything he possibly can to put himself in position to make a strong impression on NFL scouts. He attended the NFL combine, he worked out at the EXOS training facility in Florida, and he participated in Penn State’s pro day, preparing to get the opportunity to
be selected by an NFL team over the course of the next three days. Now, all Connor McGovern can do is sit and wait. His work is done so to speak, yet, it is just beginning. His versatility, size and strength is what is appealing to NFL scouts and front office personnel. He can play center, guard and tackle, which is a perfect combination for any offensive lineman heading to the next level. “I am so excited for him, for a
guy who had potential coming in, a lot of people thought highly of him,” said Penn State offensive line coach Matt Limegrover, who had the chance to see McGovern grow over the course of their years together at Penn State. “It is not easy to take that potential and turn it into tangible qualities. He has done an unbelievable job of having potential and working hard every day.” McGovern graduated from Lake-Lehman in December of
his senior year of high school with the intentions of enrolling early at Penn State to get a head start on his college career in the classroom and on the football field. At Penn State, he was plugged in at tackle, moved to center then to guard. But more importantly, his work ethic, football intelligence and overall skill level were enough to get him on the field as a true freshman. Please see MCGOVERN, Page B4
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
A Starr is born in Berwick BY MATT BUFANO STAFF WRITER
Berwick’s Katie Starr was just doing what a good center fielder is supposed to do. She was communicating with left fielder Rachael Shaftoe and right fielder Peyton Lipsey, relaying messages about having to go after every ball. If the ball comes, she said, get to it as soon as possible. If it’s in the air, don’t let it drop. Never let the ball get behind. Then, Starr was challenged with practicing what she preached. After Crestwood senior Haley Naperkowski rocketed a fly ball to deep center field, Starr and the softball were in VIDEO IMAGES FROM @DAD_FARLEY ON TWITTER a race to the fence. Having sprinted and Berwick’s Katie Starr made a spectacular catch on Tuesday against Crestwood. Video of the catch went viral on social media and was showcased on ESPN’s caught up to the ball, Starr reached behind with the SportsCenter as one of the day’s top 10 plays.
glove on her left hand and made one of the greatest catches imaginable in high school softball, even holding onto the ball after violently crashing into the yellow fence-top protector. “I hit the fence and it knocked the wind out of me,” said Starr, who noted it was the area between her ribs and belly button that got the worst of it. “It hurt, but it wasn’t that bad. I could play the game after that.” In fact, Starr later hit a solo home run during Tuesday’s 5-3 Berwick win at home against Crestwood. Video of Starr’s amazing catch has since been viewed millions of times on social media, along with appearing during an episode of ESPN’s SportsCenter.
“It’s definitely surreal,” Star r said Wednesday. “None of this seems real. It’s been exciting. It’s just crazy to me.” Berwick led 4-1 in the top of the second inning when the play happened. Without a warning track at Berwick’s softball field, Starr said she was unaware of how much space she had to make the catch. “My focus was the ball and the ball only,” Starr said. “I didn’t think that I was really close to the fence.” But she was, as the threesport scholastic all-star — who plays soccer in the fall, and basketball in the winter — made the greatest catch of her career. Please see STARR, Page B4
WB_VOICE/PAGES [B04] | 04/24/19
22:50 | CONNORSSTE
SPorTS
B4 THE CITIZENS' VOICE
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019
STArr: Berwick player’s catch featured in SportsCenter’s Top 10 FROM PAGE B1
SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Dallas’ Darren Kerdesky hits for a double against Valley West on Wednesday.
Dallas beats Spartans in 10 STAFF REPORT
At Valley West, Darren Kerdesky (3 for 5, two runs) and Jake Connolly (2 for 5, four RBIs) led Dallas to a 9-6 win in 10 innings Wednesday. Connolly also starred on the mound, where he threw 4⅔ innings of scoreless baseball with six strikeouts. Chris Killian locked down the win, pitching a scoreless 10th. Garrett Vought, Stephen Banas, Tom Federici and Nate Baranski each knocked a pair of hits for Valley West, with Baranski recording three RBIs, as well. Dallas
ab Kerdesky cf 5 Kapral 3 Nocito rf 6 Shaver 1b 5 Luksic 3b 5 Connolly dh 5 Gashi ph 0 Luksic c 4 Lewis 1 Lombardo 2b 2 Williams 2 McGeehan rf 1 Collins 1 Osipower 2 Bednar ss 0 Lewis lf 0 Killian 0 Totals 42
r h bi 2 3 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 11 9
Dallas Valley West
Valley West
ab O’Kane lf 4 Vought 2b 5 Kane 1b 5 Banas c 5 Federici p 4 Sgarlat rf 2 Baranski 3b 4 Stevens cf/p 4 Dudeck dh 5 Gibbons ss 3 Michak cr 0 Bowen cr 0 Kolesar rf/p 0
r 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
h bi 1 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 2 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals
41 6 11 6
201 000 300 3 — 9 101 040 000 0 — 6
Crestwood 6, Tunkhannock 5 At Mountain Post, Michael Bafunno hit a walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring courtesy runner Chris Ferracio and winning the game for Crestwood. Matthew Dean pitched four innings in relief and earned the win. He allowed only one run with five strikeouts, helping keep Tunkhannock in check while Crestwood’s offense came to life. Stew Caladie had two RBIs. Tunkhannock’s Tyler Faux was 2 for 3. David Baltrusaitis hit a home run. Faux ss Dziak 3b Mislevy 1b Baltrusaitis rf Reposa cf Sheridan c Cisek ph Wood p Wright p Sherwood p Robinson lf Sackmann rf Astegher ph
ab 3 4 3 2 2 2 1 3 0 0 3 2 1
Totals
26 5 8 4
Tunkhannock Crestwood
r 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
h bi 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Petrucci was 4 for 5 with three RBIs. Jake Kelleher and Cole Coolbaugh added two hits apiece for WA. Hazleton Area ab Amentler cf 5 Vozar 2b 5 McGowan ss 5 Repetz 1b 5 DeGaetano dh 6 Genao lf 5 Colyer 3b 4 Moran ph 2 Kilker p 5 Book c 5 Russo cr 0
Totals
r 2 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 1
h bi 3 1 2 1 3 0 3 1 3 3 2 2 2 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0
47 10 22 8
Hazleton Area Wyoming Area
Wyoming Area
ab Elmes lf 3 Yochem rf 5 Coolbaugh lf 5 Graham 3b 2 Kopcza 1 Kelleher c 4 Williams dh 3 Petrucci 1b 5 Angelella 2b 4 Wiedl ss 4 Nossavage cr 0 Lehart 0 Hood p/p 0 Hallman p/p 0 Sorick p/p 0 Totals 36
r h bi 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 4 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 10 8
310 030 000 3 — 10 500 010 100 2 — 9
2B: Frank DeGaetano (Haz), Cole Coolbaugh (WA), Jerome Repetz (Haz), Gabriel Colyer (Haz), Jake Kelleher (WA). Hazleton Area IP H R ER BB SO Kilker 0 0 5 5 4 0 Colyer 5 5 1 1 3 3 McGowan, WP 5 5 3 3 5 7 Wyoming Area IP H R ER BB SO Hood 5 1/3 16 7 7 3 1 Hallman, LP 4 6 3 3 2 3 Sorick 2/3 0 0 0 0 0
Nanticoke Area 6, Pittston Area 5
2B: Nate Baranski (WVW), Darren Kerdesky (Dal) 2, Mike Luksic (Dal), Sam Nocito (Dal), Tom Federici (WVW). Dallas IP H R ER BB SO Kapral 4 1/3 8 6 4 3 1 Connolly, WP 4 2/3 2 0 0 4 6 Killian 1 1 0 0 0 0 Valley West IP H R ER BB SO Federici 6 5 3 3 3 8 Kolesar, LP 3 4 5 3 2 2 Stevens 1 1 1 1 0 0
Tunkhannock
WvC BASeBALL / SoFTBALL
Crestwood
ab Ambosie cf 4 Palmiero ss 3 Litchofski ss 1 Dean 3b/p 4 Bafunno lf 2 Jones p/p 0 Albee 3b 0 Petrochko dh 2 Andrews dh 0 Papura 2b 2 Caladie 1b 3 Bukowski pr 0 Geroski c 3 Mendoza rf 3 Totals 27
202 000 1 000 013 2
2B: Denny Robinson (Tunk). HR: David Baltrusaitis (Tunk). Tunkhannock IP H R Wood 5 2/3 2 4 Wright 1/3 1 0 Sherwood, LP 2/3 2 2 Crestwood IP H R Jones 3 5 4 Dean, WP 4 3 1
r 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 — —
h bi 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 4 5 6
ER BB SO 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 ER BB SO 4 2 2 1 1 5
Hazleton Area 10, Wyoming Area 9 At Wyoming Area, Alex Amentler, Gavin McGowan, Jerome Repetz and Frank DeGaetano recorded three hits each as part of Hazleton Area’s 22-hit game in a win that required extra innings. McGowan earned the win pitching in relief, as the Cougars surrendered two runs in the bottom of the 10th, but they had already scored three in the top of the frame. Wyoming Area’s Ryan
At Nanticoke Area, the Trojans found the gaps for five extra-base hits in a close victory over the district’s toprated Class 5A squad. Derek Cease (2 for 3) had a double and three RBIs, Nick Matson (2 for 3) doubled twice, and Tyler Pokrinchak also doubled. Jake Krupinski added a triple for the Trojans (8-5), who handed the Patriots (11-2) only their second loss of the season. Andrew Krawczyk tripled for an RBI, while John DeLuca, Joe Stella and Joe Cencetti had two-hit games for Pittston Area. Pittston Area Krawczyk cf Stella c Cencetti 3b Pisano pr DeLuca lf Markert dh Cherkas p Bouika p Ralston 1b Cunius 2b Constatino rf
ab 4 4 3 0 4 3 4 0 4 3 2
r 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Totals
31 5 12 5
Pittston Area Nanticoke Area
h bi 1 1 2 1 2 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0
Nanticoke Area
ab Myers 2b 4 Matson rf/p 3 Cease ss/p 3 Krupinski 1b 3 Pokrinchak dh3 Sura pr 0 Szychowski cf3 Heffron 3b 3 Krupinski lf 3 Heald c 1 Ormes pr 0 Butczynski p/p0 Totals 26
010 030 1 300 030 x
r 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6
— —
h bi 2 0 2 0 2 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 5 5 6
2B: Tyler Pokrinchak (NA), Derek Cease (NA), Cole Cherkas (PA), Nick Matson (NA) 2. 3B: Andrew Krawczyk (PA), Jake Krupinski (NA). Pittston Area IP H R ER BB SO Cherkas, LP 4 2/3 8 6 6 0 1 Bouika 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 1 Nanticoke Area IP H R ER BB SO Butczynski, WP 5 10 4 4 0 3 Matson 1 1 1 1 1 2 Cease 1 1 0 0 1 0
Softball At Lake-Lehman, Liz Mendrzycki collected three hits and finished a home run shy of the cycle for Holy Redeemer, which scored six runs in the seventh inning and came back to win 12-8 Wednesday in WVC softball. Lynzie Skoronski and Olivia Murray each added two hits for Redeemer, which had 40 at-bats in the game. Lake-Lehman’s Emily Smith was 4 for 4 in the loss. She scored three runs and had two RBIs. Savannah Purdy added two hits and four RBIs. Holy Redeemer ab Dolan 4 Mendrzycki 5 McDermott 4 Josefowicz 4 Skoronski 5 Santuk 4 McIngvale 5 Baird 5 Murray 4 Totals
r 2 2 1 2 1 0 2 0 2
h bi 1 1 3 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 2 1
40 12 12 10
Lake-Lehman Ulozas Scoblick /p Scoblick Evans Smith Purdy Zier-Norris Spencer Kline Giordano Totals
ab 3 4 4 3 4 4 3 3 3 0 31
r 1 0 2 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 8
h bi 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 2 2 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 8 8
Holy Redeemer Lake-Lehman
210 111 6 100 150 1
— 12 — 8
2B: Taylor Josefowicz (HR), Olivia Murray (HR), Liz Mendrzycki (HR). 3B: Savannah Purdy (LL), Liz Mendrzycki (HR). Holy Redeemer IP H R ER BB SO Mendrzycki, WP 7 8 8 4 2 0 Lake-Lehman IP H R ER BB SO Scoblick, LP 7 12 12 5 4 5
Hanover Area 18, Meyers 0 At Hanover Area, Kasidy Slusser pitched three perfect innings in a Hawkeye win. Lindsey Mendygral led the Hawkeyes at the plate, going 3 for 3 and scoring three runs. Emilee Bobos also scored three times. Mollie Corbett was 2 for 2 with four RBIs and two runs for Hanover Area, which went 11 for 19 at the plate. Meyers
ab Smallcomb cf 1 Zyskowski ss 1 Sattof 2b 1 Walker p 1 Rhodes 3b 1 Davies c 1 Semanek c 1 Kasper 1b 1 Morris cf 1 Barker rf 0 Totals
r 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
h bi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 0 0 0
Meyers Hanover Area
Hanover Area
ab r h bi Whitesell cf 3 2 2 0 Gorham cf 1 0 0 0 Mangan lf 2 2 0 0 Tuzinski ss 2 1 2 4 Bobos 2b 1 3 0 0 Mendygral 1b 3 3 3 1 Slusser p/p 0 2 0 0 Corbett 2b 2 2 2 4 Corbett c 2 1 0 0 Myers c 0 0 0 0 Sheridan dh 3 2 2 0 Bonsavage rf 0 0 0 0 Totals 19 18 11 9
000 00 1260 00
— 0 — 18
2B: Mollie Corbett (HA). Meyers IP H R Walker, LP 2 11 18 Hanover Area IP H R 3 0 0 Slusser, WP
ER BB SO 9 8 2 ER BB SO 0 0 2
Wyoming Seminary 9, MMI Prep 0 At MMI Prep, the Preppers could not get leadoff hitter Tiana Wren out, as Wren went 4 for 4 and scored four runs to lead Wyoming Seminary. Campbell Kelly helped Sem’s cause at the plate, going 2 for 3 and driving in two RBIs. Delaney Romanchick and Aubrey Mytych pitched a combined shutout, allowing only one hit to MMI’s Kaylee Witner. Wyoming Seminary MMI Prep ab Wren 4 Kopec 4 Mytych 2 Romanchick 2 Kelly 3 Kehl 2 Dunn 3 Iskra 1 Bean 3 Hanson-Richart 1 Jenson 2 Bartal 1 Touey 1 Totals 29
r 4 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9
h bi 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 3
Warner Dalesandro Altmiller Witner /p Gallagher Minzola Snyder Kohl Loss Braunstein Galada
ab 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 0 0
Totals
22 0 1 0
Wyoming Seminary 240 210 0 MMI Prep 000 000 0 2B: Tiana Wren (Sem). Wyoming Seminary IP Romanchick 3 Mytych, WP 4 MMI Prep IP Witner, LP 7
H 0 1 H 7
R 0 0 R 9
r 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
— —
h bi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 0
ER BB SO 0 0 8 0 2 5 ER BB SO 3 5 9
“She’s definitely an allaround athlete, that’s for sure,” said Berwick head coach Emily Johnson. “We know she can track down just about everything in the outfield, but we weren’t sure exactly how much room she would have.” Immediately after making the catch, Starr was slow to get up, which allowed two runners at second and third base to tag up and score. However, that only made it 4-3, as Starr’s catch erased what would have been Crestwood’s tying run. Starr, a sophomore, went 3 for 3 in the game, raising her batting average to a teamhigh .571 for the Bulldogs (6-3, 4-3 WVC). T he video was first shared at 6:18 p.m. Tuesday by a Twitter user named “@ Dad_Farley,” who identified himself as an employee of
Contact the writer: mbufano@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2060; @CVBufano on Twitter
FROM PAGE B1
“Learning his first year, he was put in some tough spots being a true freshman,” Limegrover said. “That probably helped mold him and speed up the maturity process. That experience helped him do what he did the last two years and accelerated the pace that set him up to leave a year early. All those things happened and he kept his head about it. His trajectory from the first day was upwards.” While his primary position at Penn State was center for his first two seasons before switching to guard as a junior, it is his versatility that jumps out at the next level. So much so that Limegrover did not have a definitive answer, but did offer his opinion, saying he believes McGovern is best suited to be a guard.
“That is a really good question,” Limegrover said. “I think guard is. I also know that he is willing and will do a really good job wherever they decide to put him. One thing he has positioned himself to be appealing is that teams know he is not just a one position player. Maybe he is not starting right away, but he will be one of the eight offensive linemen the team will carry. “He can play all three and play them well,” Limegrover continued. “I think the fact he has a ton of versatility and is a smart kid, that is going to put more money in his pocket in the long run.” Always a strong and physical player, McGovern checked in at 6-foot-5 3/8 and 308 pounds at the NFL combine. He did 28 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, and
ranked in the top 10 in all drills he took part in. “The biggest thing is that when he first came in he had some athletic ability and was a fairly strong kid,” Limegrover said. “As he continued to develop the strength and power, was he going to lose his change of direction? Was that going to suffer or continue to get strong enough to have the kind of power and strength to compete at the top level. He developed the strength and power and built on what he had. He didn’t lose the other stuff. He is a very different man than when he first came to Penn State. It was all for the better. Nothing had to suffer for his development.” Contact the writer: sbennett@citizensvoice.com; 570 821-2062; @CVSteveBennett on Twitter
STeeLerS: Extend Big Ben to 2021 FROM PAGE B1
The deal gives Pittsburgh some stability going forward after the high-profile departures of wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell. Brown pouted his way into a trade with the Oakland Raiders in March while Bell signed with the New York Jets as a free agent after sitting out all of 2018 when he opted not to sign his franchise tender. Roethlisberger, who turned 37 last month, is coming off the finest statistical season of his 15-year career. His 5,129 yards passing led the NFL and his 34 touchdown passes broke his own franchise mark. Yet his once-solid relat i o n s h i p w i t h B r ow n appeared to deteriorate during a late slide that culminated in a 9-6-1 finish, a swoon that caused the Steelers to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Brown sat out a crucial Week 17 game against Cincinnati and in the aftermath lashed out on social media, blaming Roethlisberger for having an “owner mentality.” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert went out of his way to defend the quarterback, saying that in a way,
Roethlisberger was dealing with “52 kids” on the roster, a challenge for some of Roethlisberger’s teammates to take on a greater role in the locker room. Not that Roethlisberger minds the responsibility. He has been unapologetic in his approach and unafraid to call out himself and others when the team fails to play to the standard it has set for itself. Roethlisberger flirted with retirement after the 2016 season but has found a renewed sense of energy in his mid30s. Having an offensive line that has kept him upright has certainly helped. Roethlisberger has been sacked an average of 20½ times over the last four years — compared with an average of 42 times per season between 2006-13 — due in part to stellar play in front of him and an approach predicated on getting the ball out faster while shying away from the “Ben being Ben” stuff that led to a mix of big plays and big mistakes earlier in his career. The announcement of the extension came on the 15th anniversary of the Steelers making Roethlisberger the seventh overall pick in the 2004 draft. After taking over the starting job in Week 2 of
the 2004 season following an injury to veteran Tommy Maddox, Roethlisberger has led the Steelers to three Super Bowls, along with seven AFC North titles and 10 total playoff berths. “Ben is one of the most productive quarterbacks in NFL history, and he continued to climb the lists among the all-time passing leaders in the league last season,” team president Art Rooney II said. “But I know Ben’s focus is on only one goal — to bring another Lombardi trophy back to Pittsburgh.” Roethlisberger will lead an offense in the midst of a generational shift at other skill positions. JuJu Smith-Schuster replaces Brown as Pittsburgh’s top receiver and the running back combination of James Conner and Jaylen Samuels combined to put up numbers in 2018 similar to Bell’s at his peak. Pittsburgh has toyed with finding Roethlisberger’s eventual successor, drafting Josh Dobbs in the fourth round in 2017 and Mason Rudolph in the third round last year. Dobbs won the backup job last summer over Rudolph and veteran Landry Jones, who was cut on the eve of the 2018 season.
CoLLeGeS/LoCAL
At Coughlin, Ashley Tomeo had three hits, while Morgan Gayton and Jordan Pugh added two hits apiece, although it wasn’t enough for the Crusaders. Elk Lake earned the win thanks to an offense that pounded 14 hits, including a home run and a single by Tamara Voda, who was 2 for 4 with a walk and three RBIs. A full box score was not available. 022 300 2 100 101 0
Barstool Sports and MaxPreps. Former Scranton/WilkesBarre Red Baron and Phillies great Shane Victorino was among the thousands who commented, calling it an “amazing catch!!!” on Barstool Sports’ Instagram post. “My phone was blowing up with all my friends texting me,” said Starr, whose older sister, Sammi Starr, has played in 39 games this season as a freshman infielder at Bloomsburg University. “They were like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re famous now.’” It all resulted in Wednesday being one of the most fun practices of the season. “It’s been exciting for the girls,” Johnson said. “It was definitely a nice thing to see happen and have happen for the team.”
MCGovern: Guard might be best fit
Elk Lake 9, Coughlin 3
Elk Lake Coughlin
Atlantic Broadband Channel 10. “I saw him at the beginning of the game and I saw him set it up,” Starr said of the cameraman. “He told me after the game that he was just trying to bat away the ball so it didn’t hit his camera.” Thanks to Starr’s catch, the camera was unharmed, resulting in a picture-perfect video that was shared on social media by a few major media outlets. By Wednesday morning, the play had been on ESPN during SportsCenter’s top-10 plays segment. “You have to be a ‘star’ to be on our show,” ESPN anchor Neil Everett said as Starr’s catch checked in at No. 8 on the countdown. A few hours later, it had amassed well over 3 million views across the Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts of SportsCenter,
— —
9 3
2B: Lynda Lawrence (EL), Stacy Balent (Cou), Charity Kasson (EL), Reese Warriner (EL). 3B: Ashley Tomeo (Cou). HR: Tamara Voda (EL). Elk Lake IP H R ER BB SO Warner, WP 7 10 3 2 1 3 Coughlin IP H R ER BB SO Pugh, LP 7 14 9 9 2 2
Men’s Lacrosse
two goals for Wilkes, but it was not enough against the Patrick Luzzi had eight host Bulldogs. goals and two assists in a Ethan Weaver added a record-breaking day as goal and two assists. Misericordia clinched a Women’s Lacrosse postseason berth with a 17-9 Wilkes’ Kyra Boccio posted win over King’s at Mangelsfour points, including the dorf Field on Wednesday. Luzzi reached 51 goals 200th of her career, but visitand 74 points on the season, ing DeSales pulled away for a both single-season school 20-11 win at Schmidt Stadium. Wilkes falls to 0-6 in records. Brandon Winslow had league play on the season. four goals and four assists, Baseball and he went over 100 goals in Parker Abate had four his career. Nick Torzilli added three goals and two assists hits and drove in three runs as Misericordia beat host for the Cougars (4-2 MAC). Keystone 10-8. DeSales 14, Wilkes 5 Kenny Jarema, Steve At DeSales, Nico Lorenzo Weisensee, Santo Guinta and Ethan Wink each scored and Sean Boylan all had two
hits. Brady Madden had three RBIs. Taylor Price picked up the win in relief, and Kyle Melahn got his sixth save of the season.
rugby The Wilkes-Barre Rugby Club defeated Media, 43-19, in the semifinals last week to advace to to the MAC Finals on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Irish. Early scores by Tyler Freas and Deric Grohowski paced the Breakers to a 14-12 lead at halftime. Tony Van Scoy, J.B. Mulholland, Mike Appleman, Josh Meck and Bill DeAngelo all ran in tries in a dominant second half.
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Dems trusted more on health Respondents have more confidence in Democrats to handle health care. BY RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR AND HANNAH FINGERHUT ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Connor McGovern celebrates being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with girlfriend, Delaney Elling, father Jim and mom Maureen.
FROM LEHMAN TO DALLAS Lake-Lehman grad, PSU standout Connor McGovern drafted by Cowboys BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITER
FA I RV I E W T W P. — Connor McGover n displayed a calm, cool and collected demeanor on Thursday night, the first night of the NFL Draft, l o o k i n g fo r t h e e n t i re experience just come to an end so he can get on with the next phase of his football career. With most draft projections and analysts tabbing him as a second night s e l e c t i o n , M c G ove r n’s pace at the Broadway Tavern on Friday night picked up considerably. After days and weeks of fielding phone calls and text messages from 30 of the 32 NFL teams, McGovern’s fate clearly rested in the hands of NFL coaches, scouts and front office personnel. Please see DRAFT, Page A7
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Penn State offensive lineman Connor McGovern runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis in March.
Court upholds Frein’s death sentence Pa. Supreme Court agrees with lower court in sentence in ambush attack. BY MARC LEVY ASSOCIATED PRESS
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court upheld the death sentence and conviction on Friday of a sniper who killed a state trooper and wounded another in a nighttime ambush outside their barracks in a heavily wooded area. The state Supreme Court’s decision upholds lower court decisions in the case of Eric Frein, who was convicted in the 2014 murder of Cpl. Bryon Dickson II outside the Blooming Grove barracks in northeastern Pennsylvania. Anoth-
TIMES-SHAMROCK FILE
Eric Frein killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson III and severely wounded Trooper Alex Douglass in the 2014 attack. er trooper, Alex Douglass, was badly wounded. In a 45-page opinion supported by five of the court’s seven justices, Justice Debra Todd wrote that the evidence presented at trial was sufficient to support a first-degree murder conviction and death penalty. The court also rejected
several challenges by Frein’s lawyers, including one in which they contended that the trial judge violated Frein’s right to remain silent and right to a lawyer by allowing the jury to see his post-arrest videotaped interview with police. After the ambush, Frein led authorities on a 48-day man-
hunt through the rugged Pocono Mountains before U.S. marshals caught him at an abandoned airplane hangar. The area was briefly transformed, with heavily armed federal agents and police from several states patrolling streets, combing forests and cordoning off neighborhoods Frein was convicted in 2017. He is on death row, but the most recent execution in Pennsylvania was nearly two decades ago. The state’s current Democratic governor has said he will grant a reprieve each time an execution is scheduled until the Legislature addresses problems identified in a report last year. Gov. Tom Wolf has called the system “ineffective, unjust and expensive.”
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WASHINGTON — Americans are giving Democrats a clear edge on health care as the 2020 presidential race gears up, according to a new poll that also finds many Republicans backing one of their competitors’ top ideas: a government insurance plan people can buy into. But support for the plan that has attracted the most attention, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All,” is concentrated mostly among Democrats. Overall, The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds that Democrats enjoy a 17 percentage point advantage over Republicans in Americans’ assessments of whom they trust more to handle health care, 40% to 23%. That compares with a public more evenly divided over which party would better handle several other major areas of national policy, including the economy, immigration and foreign affairs. “As I look at what’s going on, there is no question that Democrats are far more structured toward trying to make sure people have health care,” said Robert Head, of Lewes, Delaware. Head, who’s retired from a marketing career for machinery manufacturers, said he was a lifelong Republican who lost faith in the party because of the Iraq War. “I tend to think that health care is a fundamental human right,” he added. “The Republicans don’t have a plan. All they want to do is block grants back to the states.”
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HEALTH: Many are open to Democrats’ pair of approaches
WVC draft history first three rounds
from page a1
CHARLEY TRIPPI High school: pittston College: georgia Drafted: 1945, No. 1 overall by Chicago Cardinals The oldest living member of the pro football Hall of fame, Trippi, 97, was an all-pro running back. He played in the NfL from 194755, rushing for 3,506 yards and scoring 50 touchdowns (23 rushing, 16 passing, 11 receiving).
JOHN PALUCK High School: Swoyersville College: pittsburgh Drafted: 1956, No. 24 overall by Washington redskins The defensive end played 105 games for the redskins in an eight-year career (1956, 195965). He retired with one pro Bowl selection, two interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries — one for a touchdown — and a safety.
LOU MICHAELS High school: Swoyersville College: Kentucky Drafted: 1958, No. 4 overall by Los angeles rams all-american played numerous positions at Kentucky, kicking and punting and rarely leaving the field. michaels made 187 field goals in the NfL. He also started 103 games on defense, mostly at defensive end.
JIMMY CEFALO High School: pittston area College: penn State Drafted: 1978, No. 81 overall by miami Dolphins Now a Dolphins radio broadcaster, Cefalo first caught passes for seven years as a miami receiver. He hauled in a 76-yard touchdown reception in Super Bowl XVII during a career that included 93 receptions, 1,739 yards and 13 TDs.
RON SOLT High school: Coughlin College: maryland Drafted: 1984, No. 19 overall by Indianapolis Colts offensive guard made an immediate impact by starting all 16 games his rookie season. He went on to have a nine-year NfL career with Indianapolis and philadelphia, making the pro Bowl in 1987 as a Colt.
A public backlash against the GOP’s fruitless efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act helped Democrats win the House in 2018. Now, Democrats are looking to health care to help them take the White House in 2020. All the Democratic candidates are looking to expand government-sponsored coverage. The survey shows that Americans are generally in sync with the idea of government taking a leading role. Fifty-seven percent believe the federal government is responsible for making sure all Americans have health care coverage, while 41% think it is not. Many Americans are open to the two approaches being pushed by Democrats, DaVe SCHerBeNCo / STaff pHoTograpHer according to the poll. The first is Medicare for Connor McGovern takes a phone call from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on All, under which all U.S. resFriday night. idents would be covered through a single government plan financed with new taxes. The second is an option for people to buy into a new government plan as an alternative to private insurance. Key details of both concepts have yet to be spelled out. Among all Americans, 42% support a single-payer plan like the one espoused by Sanders, while 31% express opposition. Another quarter say they are neither in favor nor opposed. Support breaks down along partisan and ideological lines, with liberal Democrats about four times as likely as conservative Republicans to back single-payer. C h r i s t i n e K n a p p, a Republican from Fresno, California, is concerned that Sanders’ approach might affect her current Medicare coverage. “People who are Medicare recipients right now, we’ve paid into it,” she said. “If you start putting everybody into it, I don’t know where the money is going to come DaVe SCHerBeNCo / STaff pHoTograpHer from. It’s an interesting McGovern was taken by the Cowboys in the third round with the 90th pick. idea, but it could be fraught with a lot of negativity.” The partisan gap narrows significantly, however, for the option of Americans buying into a government program. Overall, 53% support the buy-in option, with 17% opposed and 29% on the fence. Similar shares of Democrats back the two plans. But Republicans are nearly twice as likely to support a public option plan as a single-payer plan, 44% to 22%. Knapp likes the buy-in because it calls for some level of personal responsibility
QADRY ISMAIL High school: meyers College: Syracuse Drafted: 1993, No. 52 overall by minnesota Vikings “The missile” was a star with minnesota and the Baltimore ravens. He caught 33 touchdowns from 19932002 and had two 1,000yard seasons. Ismail was a key member of the Super Bowl XXXV champion ravens. — Compiled by matt bufano and eriC Shultz
from those who would benefit. “It’s not just going to some county health department and signing the paperwork and getting free health care for life,” said Knapp, who worked as a civilian employee for local law enforcement agencies. In Columbia, South Carolina, small business owner Tanya Attarwala is a Democrat who says she could get behind either Medicare for All or a buy-in approach. Right now Attarwala is uninsured and is paying out of pocket for her health care at a local Walmart clinic. She said that she was covered previously under form e r P re s i d e n t B a r a ck Obama’s health law but that premiums were too costly when compared with the medical services she received each year. “The idea should be to cover everybody, there should be nobody without health care,” she said. “They should not be fighting about this. You have to see which one will work best.” Attarwala’s “all of the above” attitude mirrors what’s happening among the Democratic presidential candidates, some of whom have signed up to different health care plans. Next week is shaping up as a test for Medicare for All in Congress. The House version of the legislation will get its first hearing on Tuesday. And then on Wednesday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office will issue an eagerly awaited report on key design issues and other considerations in putting the $3.6 trillion U.S. health care system entirely under federal control. Currently, employers cover about half of all Americans. The poll also finds that Obama’s health overhaul law gets support from 48% of Americans, while 30% are opposed. Roughly 2 in 10 neither support nor oppose t h e AC A , o f t e n c a l l e d “Obamacare.” The 2010 law extended coverage to more than 20 million people and made it illegal for insurers to turn away those with health problems. But it came with a host of rollout problems and led to prohibitively high premiums for some consumers. Nonetheless the poll flashes a warning sign for President Donald Trump, who’s thrown his support to a lawsuit seeking to overturn “Obamacare” in its entirety. It finds that 57% of Americans oppose repealing the ACA, though many would like to see it changed.
Despite sprawl, Amish population thrives in Lancaster County
GREG SKREPENAK High School: gar College: michigan Drafted: 1992, No. 32 overall by Los angeles raiders The raiders’ second-round selection started 56 of 68 games in a career that lasted until 1997. The collegiate allamerican was part of the raiders’ first year in oakland (‘95), and he started every game for Carolina in his final two seasons.
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aSSoCIaTeD preSS DaVe SCHerBeNCo / STaff pHoTograpHer
McGovern and his family watch the second round of the NFL Draft in Fairview Twp.
DRAFT: McGovern to Cowboys from page a1
With family and friends gathered around to celebrate McGovern’s big night, his ultimate dream finally came to fruition when he was drafted in the third round by the Dallas Cowboys with the 90th overall pick. “Eighty-seventh pick went by, phone started ringing,” McGovern said. “I saw it was Dallas, Texas. I answered and it was Jerry Jones.” McGovern, a Lake-Lehman grad, declared for the NFL following Penn State’s bowl game in January, leaving Penn State after his junior year. He became the fifth player from the area to be drafted after playing for the Nittany Lions, joining Chuck Sieminski, Jimmy Cefalo, Harry Hamilton and Bob Ontko.
“I’m so excited right now,” McGovern said, looking around the Broadway Tavern. “Right now, this place is packed.” Friday night capped a whirlwind couple of months for McGovern that saw him declare for the draft following Penn State’s bowl game in January, to signing with an agent, to working out at the EXOS facility in Pensacola, Florida, to being invited to the NFL combine. McGovern also described the waiting game, which had him watch the second and most of the third round pass by before he was selected. “It was hard,” McGovern said. “Nerves were going the entire time; had to stay calm. I was talking to my agent, who was telling me, ‘Don’t worry, it’s going to happen.’” It was at the combine where
McGovern was interviewed by close to 25 NFL organizations, had a chance to do onfield drills and turned in 28 reps on the bench press. He checked in at 6-foot-5, 308 pounds, approximately 15 pounds lighter than his playing weight at Penn State. McGovern is the first player from the WVC drafted since former GAR standout offensive lineman Mark Glowinski was picked in the fourth round by the Seattle Seahawks in 2015. Glowinski, an offensive lineman, recently signed a contract extension with the Indianapolis Colts. “I’m glad they gave me a chance,” McGovern said of the Cowboys, “and I can’t wait to get down there.” Contact the writer: sbennett@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2062
LANCASTER — The Amish population in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County is continuing to grow each year, despite the encroachment of urban sprawl on their communities. The U.S. Census Bureau says the county added about 2,500 people in 2018. LNP reports that about 1,000 of them were Amish. Elizabethtown College researchers say Lancaster County’s Amish population reached 33,143 in 2018, up 3.2%, from the previous year. The Amish accounted for an estimated 41% of the county’s overall population growth last year. Some experts are concer ned that a planned 75-acre housing and com-
mercial project will make it more difficult for the county to accommodate the Amish population. D o n a l d K r ay b i l l , a n authority on Amish culture, told Manheim Township commissioners this week that some in the Amish community are worried about the development and the increased traffic it would bring.
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