PHILADELPHIA - Line Mountain graduate Jon Fausey of the University of Virginia dropped his first round bout Thursday at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center but came back to win a consolation bout.

Fausey lost to Big 10 champion Quentin Wright of Penn State 8-4 in the opening round at 184 pounds but later defeated Jason McCroskey 8-2 of Chattanooga in Thursday night's consolation bracket. Fausey (28-9) will wrestle Jake Meredith of Arizona State in the second round of consolations this morning.

Selinsgrove Speedway will kick off the 2011 northeast dirt modified racing season tonight with the Race of Champions Dirt Modified Series "Icebreaker IV Weekend."

The RoC Series, headquartered in Binghamton, N.Y., is a true working man's racing series, with a mix of professional and blue collar racers together. Many of the top dirt mod drivers, including Brett Hearn, Jeff Strunk, Pat Ward, Duane Howard and Danny Johnson can be found mixing it up at an RoC event with drivers like Tom Umbenhauer, Justin Holland, Colt Harris, Doug Manmiller and Billy van Pelt. Stars of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and even our north-of-the-border friends from Canada will chase the 13-race 2011 schedule, gaining the valuable points.

Last season, 27-year-old Canadian Stewart Friesen edged veteran Danny Johnson by a single point to claim the $7,000 championship check. Pat Ward, Bobby Varin, Duane Howard, Brian Weaver, Ronnie Johnson, Rick Laubach, Danny Creeden and Matt Sheppard completed the top ten. All those drivers are expected to be in action this weekend at the Snyder County half-mile oval.

The modifieds returned to Selinsgrove in 2008 after a 25-year hiatus, as Rick Laubach captured the 50-lap feature event. In 2009, what has become known as the Icebreaker Weekend began with the small block (358) modifieds Friday night and the big block mods Saturday night. Pat Ward won the small block show on his way to the 2009 RoC title, while Danny Johnson won the big block event. Last season, Ward and his Gypsum Express entry won in small blocks, with Matt Sheppard taking the big block honors.

Tonight's program for the small blocks will include a complete qualifying format of heats and consolation races, a non-qualifier's race and a 25-lap, $2,200-to-win feature program. Practice sessions are also on the schedule for the big block cars. Gates open at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 7:30.

For Saturday's show, the gates officially open at 2 p.m., but the pit gates will be open for fans to mingle with the teams earlier in the day. Racing will start at 4 p.m.

The feature for the big blocks has been shortened this year from the previous 50 laps to 40, but the purse remains the same, paying $4,000-to-win plus many contingencies.

Qualifying heat races and consolation events, a non-qualifier's race and a special Middleswarth Potato Chips Match Race Challenge for the heat winners will offer the fans plenty of action on the fast half mile, leading into the feature show.

Other racing action around the area this weekend includes Williams Grove Speedway kicking off its season with 358 and 410 sprint cars, with a 7:30 starting time.

Eight-time track champion and all-time leading feature winner Fred Rahmer has won five opening-night shows, including last year's opener. A surprise Williams Grove opening day winner in 2000 was current NASCAR star Kasey Kahne in his family-owned sprinter.

Lincoln Speedway returns to action Saturday with its third event of the season, presenting at three-division show of 410 sprints, limited late models and thundercars, starting at 6 p.m. Port Royal Speedway looks to kick off its season under new management Saturday night with a doubleheader open wheel program of 358 and 410 sprint cars, starting at 6 p.m.

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series is off for the next two weekends, following last week's 42nd annual Tire Kingdom Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. Del Worsham took the top fuel honors, while Mike Neff was the funny car winner, Jason Line won the pro stock battle and Eddie Krawiec took home the bike victory. The series returns to action at the Strip at Vegas on April 1-3, for the 12th annual Summitracing.com Nationals.

(Kaminski covers auto racing for The News-Item)

Say what you will about Line Mountain's run into the state playoffs this year, the Eagles have stayed true to themselves.

Throughout the season, in games big and small, the Eagles have kept to their usual m.o. - run, force the other team into mistakes and occasionally make a few themselves.

It won't be surprising for Line Mountain to come out and do the same exact thing against Steel-Hi in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals, 2 p.m. Saturday at Martz Hall.

That philosophy has taken the Eagles farther than anyone might have thought before the season started, but on Wednesday, it nearly had the opportunity to bite them in the tail feathers.

Up by 17 points late in the game with Girard College, Line Mountain continued to look for the first available shot on offense and keep up the defensive pressure, picking up a couple fouls that didn't help in the quest to run time off the clock.

The late-game mistakes helped swell an already bloated turnover line for both teams - Line Mountain forced 37 turnovers, and committed 30.

One colleague, who hadn't seen the Eagles play this year, was beside himself that they weren't running a stalled half court set to kill the clock.

Those of us who had seen the Eagles, both good and bad, could only laugh.

Why change what's working?

"We had to keep the tempo of the game up," junior guard Mikhail Whitcomb explained after the game. "We had heard that they were a fast team and that they like to press."

A long time coming

Whitcomb, who scored 27 points, also added a valuable post-game assist.

When head coach Mike Reed was groping for an answer to when the Eagles had last experienced this kind of postseason run, Whitcomb chimed in.

"It was 1996," she answered

while sitting Indian style on the floor and waiting for reporters.

Reed looked down and asked, "Are you a history buff now?"

Without blinking an eye, she answered, "It's on the banner."

That the Eagles need a banner to remind anyone of their last trip this far in the playoffs means it's been a long time. That the girls have taken note of that banner and have at least matched that success means something else.

"We just want to keep winning," Whitcomb said. "I don't think there's any pressure. We want to have fun and enjoy the experience."

Except for all-star meets here and there, the 2010-2011 wrestling season is behind us, and it's time to take some stock.

For the first time since 2007, The News-Item circulation area schools did not have a state champion but like that season, when Line Mountain's Fausey brothers were both runners-up, the area did have a runner-up in Shamokin Area 285-pounder Wes Tillett, with three other state placewinners.

The season marked the end of a strong era in Shamokin wrestling, but one that never quite approached the level some people expected when this group of seniors came out of junior high, because they never quite got the supporting cast around them they needed.

But what a group of seniors it was. Brandon Pesarchick, Tillett and Josh Lahr combined for 399 wins, 10 state tournament appearances, six state medals, five regional championships and four district titles. Throw in Lee Supsic's 102 wins, and those four 100-win seniors had 501 career wins and 150 losses.

Line Mountain's Travis Erdman bounced back from a broken hand as a junior to make a second place-winning trip to Hershey and also joined the 100-win club, and sophomore teammate Zain Retherford, although he failed to repeat as a state champion, finished third at 112 and had a 43-2 record, giving him a two-year mark of 83-3.

Southern Columbia's Brian Watkins and Mount Carmel's Nick Dusendschine finally made it to states as seniors, and each won a bout there, and both also went out with 100-plus wins, as did Mount Carmel's Dylan Hornberger.

That's eight 100-win club seniors, and while that number doesn't have the same allure it did a generation ago, or even 10 years ago, it's still no mean feat. Line Mountain, although it didn't have a wrestler in the state finals for the first time since 2004, sent four wrestlers to the state meet, three of whom are back, and the Eagles should field a crackerjack team next season after going 12-2 in dual meets and winning the Tri-Valley League title.

There were 14 area wrestlers with 30 or more wins this season, with Retherford (43-2) and Erdman (43-4) leading the pack.

In other statistics, Retherford was the area's top pinner, with 23 falls, followed by North Schuylkill's Scott Yagielniskie (22), with Erdman, Pesarchick and North Schuylkill's Kody Newberry tied for third (21). Tillett, Mount Carmel's Brett Przekop and North Schuylkill's Tyler Dean each had 19 pins.

Retherford led the troops in technical falls with six. Teammate Adam Kritzer had five, and Erdman, Line Mountain's Seth Lansberry, North Schuylkill's Jesse Picklo, Dusendschine and Watkins all had three.

Kritzer had the most major decisions (eight), followed by Lansberry (seven), Erdman, Lahr and Dusendschine (all with six).

Retherford had the most bonus point wins (32), followed by Erdman (30), Yagielniskie (25), Pesarchick and Newberry (23 each), and Tillett and Watkins (21 each).

When a conversation starts up about Steelton-Highspire's girls basketball team, it doesn't take long before the name Malia Tate-DeFreitas pops up.

And for good reason.

The Rollers sensational sophomore, and with the numbers she's put up sensational is safe to assume, has scored 671 points this season, good for 24 points per game, and is well over 1,000 for her career.

She has a 42-point night against Milton Hershey this season, and was held to just 13 points by Chester in one of the Rollers' four losses.

If that's all the Rollers had, then who knows if they'd be playing Line Mountain in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals at Martz Hall on Saturday at 2 p.m., but like most of the final eight teams left in the Class A bracket, the Rollers are not a one-trick pony.

Besides Tate-DeFreitas, Steel-Hi has a veritable forest in the front court. No less than four girls on the roster measure in at over 6-feet tall.

Cinnamon Brown (6-2) averages eight points and nearly 10 rebounds a game.

Janelle Hill (also 6-2) averages seven points and over 10 rebounds per contest.

Jessika Williams (6-0) scores around 14 points per game.

All three are seniors, and all three start alongside Tate-DeFreitas and guard Jazmine Blanding, who is averaging 6.7 ppg.

The Rollers used all their size to outrebound Sacred Heart, which they beat 66-52 in the second round, but found themselves trailing by nine late in the third quarter.

Line Mountain's tallest player varies by game depending on how many pairs of socks they have on, and none come close to six feet.

The Eagles have however played much bigger than their size might suggest, outrebounding Girard College in the second half of their 64-48 second round win as well as nearly matching a much taller Marian Catholic on the boards in the first round.

And not for one moment have they looked like a team that had a collective zero games of state playoff experience before this season started.

Steel-Hi has been this far along in the state playoffs the past two years now.

Last year, the Rollers lost to Tri-Valley 34-29 after cruising to victories in their first two games, not unlike this year's playoff push which has seen Steel-Hi demolish Muncy 68-33 and ease past Sacred Heart.

All games at Annex gymnasium

Sunday, March 20

Bulls vs. Celtics, 'B', 3 p.m.

Demons vs. Vipers, 'AA', 4 p.m.

Cobras vs. Wizards, 'AA', 5 p.m.

Indians vs. Demons, 'AAA', 6 p.m.

Tuesday, March 22

'A'

Indians vs. Demons, 5:30 p.m.

'AA'

Wizards vs. Demons, 6:15 p.m.

'AAA'

Demons vs. Indians, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 24

'A'

Cobras vs. Demons, 5:30 p.m.

Indians vs. Vipers, 6:20 p.m.

'AA'

Indians vs. Wizards, 7:20 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA - Line Mountain graduate Jon Fausey split two bouts but was eliminated from further competition at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center.

Fausey, wrestling for the University of Virginia at 184 pounds, scored an 8-0 major decision over Arizona State's

Eric Starks in a second round consolation bout, but fell in the next round to No. 6 seed Ryan Loder of Northern Iowa, 7-3.

Fausey completed the season with a 29-10 record.

Sting retained the TNA heavyweight championship over the truly enigmatic Jeff Hardy in a main event at last Sunday's Victory Road pay-per-view that lasted all of a minute and twenty-five seconds and left fans who purchased the show more than just a bit bewildered.

The company was sufficiently embarrassed by the turn of events that it offered an apology for the show having fallen short of its standards and access to six months of free programming on TNAondemand.com with proof of purchase (a copy of the cable bill) as compensation.

Reports from various sources indicated Hardy came to the show in no condition to work and the quick finish to the bout was the audible called. Why they didn't substitute for Hardy with another challenger or do some kind of a quick angle leading to a different bout was a question asked by many Monday morning bookers. Some speculation had the episode as a work, citing previous things pulled by the illustrious creative staff.

Hardy repeatedly failing to learn from his previous mistakes tells us much about the insidious nature of addiction. Why wrestling companies keep hiring him back may tell us more about greed than about the virtue of forgiveness. Hardy is popular with fans and sells tons of merchandise. His court appearance on Wednesday (that's right, he was scheduled for court on the now ancient drug charges filed many moons ago and he showed up in no condition to work a high profile event the weekend before) was continued for the umpteenth time without a conclusion.

Other bouts on the show saw Tommy Dreamer pin Bully Ray in a falls count anywhere contest. Rosita and Sarita won the knockouts tag team titles from Angelina Love and Winter. Hernandez bested Morgan in a first blood bout. They did a lame skit with Jeff Jarrett and his new wife Karen Angle at a theme park for their honeymoon.

Kazarian retained the Ultimate X title over Robbie E and the Buck Brothers. Beer Money went over Ink Inc. A.J. Styles pinned Matt Hardy and Rob Van Dam and Mr. Anderson were counted out in their number one contender match.

TNA did not use Jeff Hardy at the Impact tapings this week and he was reportedly pulled from the house show schedule for the weekend. His future with the company seemed to be in doubt and he was somewhat buried at the first taping which aired this past Thursday. TNA is pushing a four-way at Lockdown with RVD, Anderson, Bully Ray and Sting.

WWE programming took a hit with the announcement that WGN was dropping Superstars. There could be some layoffs as a result for the marginal talent who don't appear to be on creative's radar screen and have been biding time on the Chicago Superstation.

Rock did a taped promo on Raw. He looks huge and prepared to do something physical at Mania. He also made comments this week that seemed to reverse his former position of being retired from wrestling to the point one could reasonably believe he may come back to do a match or two. Word is that he will be live on Raw before Mania. Expect the Road Warriors announced for the WWE Hall of Fame at the Chicago Raw.

Ring of Honor was scheduled for a big show at the Manhattan Center yesterday afternoon and WWE was down the street at Madison Square Garden for an evening card. ROH featured a main event of the Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli) defending against Homicide and Eddie Edwards vs. Roderick Strong for the singles belt. WWE features Cena against Punk and Miz defending against Randy Orton.

(Shamokin's Bill Gilger "arranges" the interview each week with The Insider)

POTTSVILLE - It wasn't one thing Line Mountain did wrong in its 78-44 PIAA Class A quarterfinal loss to Steelton-Highspire - that would be too simple, too inaccurate.

Instead, it was a confluence of reasons, big and small, that led up to the Eagles' trip to Martz Hall resulting in a whopping loss and expulsion from the state tournament.

There was Steel-High sophomore Malia Tate-DeFreitas scoring 23 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and making sure her presence was felt in every other statistical category with three blocks, half a dozen steals and a slew of assists.

Add in Line Mountain shooting an abysmal 16 percent (6-for-36) from the floor in the first half.

And to top it off, yes, Steel-High had a distinct height advantage, outrebounding the Eagles by more than a factor of two, 50-22.

"Hey, they're pretty good," Line Mountain head coach Mike Reed said to open his post-game comments.

"They have the quickness, and they have the height. We didn't play real well, but it would have

taken a heck of a lot more than we could put out there to beat them today."

Steel-High opened innocently enough, taking a 4-2 lead, but with Line Mountain missing shots and turning the ball over, the score rocketed to 19-2 with just under three minutes left in the first.

Kasey Long was the only Eagles' player who could find the bottom of the net in the first quarter, scoring seven of her team-high 13 points in the quarter.

"We couldn't buy a bucket early on," Reed said. "It started to look like districts to start. Then we started to try to get more aggressive with it, and they got up and erased some of them completely."

Contrast that to Steel-High, which had six different girls make at least one field goal over the same span.

By the time the second quarter started, the Eagles trailed by 16 points, and that soon grew to 22 after a couple Tate-DeFreitas layups.

The sophomore continued to impress with quickness and court vision that at times belied her age.

"She's not super fast, but she's real quick and she sees everybody," Reed said. "She could be making a move this way, and she's already picked somebody up in the opposite corner on a diagonal that she's going to let the ball fly to.

"If she was just someone who made the passes, that would be one thing, or just someone who could put the ball in the hoop, but she's both."

Line Mountain at times played to Steel-High's level, forcing turnovers and getting to the free-throw line, but every time the Eagles put together a four-point spurt, the Rollers were quick to counter.

"I think we wore them down a little bit, but it was up and down the floor, so we were getting tired to," Reed said. "And we usually don't tire out."

Steel-High moves on to play Delaware County Christian, a 42-37 winner over Tri-Valley, at a site and time to be determined.

Line Mountain, which has already had its annual post-season banquet, ends its season with a 21-8 record, runner-up in both the Tri-Valley League and District 4.

"They were here, in the elite eight, playing in Martz Hall, I told them, 'enjoy it,'" Reed said. "If it was meant to be, then it's meant to be. At least today (Steel-High) was the better team.

"As far as I'm concerned we're tied for fifth in the state because they don't break the tie and three other teams are going to lose today."

For Eagles' seniors Paige Swineford, Kelsey Lagerman and Maggie Fessler, it was their last game.

Lagerman and Swineford scored eight each, while Fessler had her hands full going against Steel-High's Cinnamon Brown, who scored 14 points, mostly on putbacks.

"It's tough to see the seniors go," Reed said. "When they were freshmen, we threw Paige into the fire as the starting point guard. Four years later, look where we're at, and we kind of planned it that way. We had an idea of where we wanted to go and where we would be, but I don't think people ever thought we would get this far.

"I give all the credit to the girls for getting here."

Game Summary

PIAA Class A Quarterfinals

LINE MOUNTAIN (44) - Long 6 0-3 14, Bethge 0 3-4 3, Swineford 1 6-8 8, London 0 0-0 0, M. Lagerman 2 0-0 5, K. Lagerman 4 0-2 8, Whitcomb 1 1-2 3, Lahr 1 0-0 3, Fessler 0 0-0 0, Menko 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 10-19 44.

STEELTON-HIGHSPIRE (78) - Tate-DeFreitas 9 5-7 23, Blanding 0 0-0 0, Hess-Moore 3 0-0 6, Harris-Slade 0 0-0 0, Donald 3 0-0 6, Viera 1 0-2 2, Lozada 0 0-0 0, Hill 5 1-2 11, Brown 7 0-0 14, Sanchez 1 0-0 2, Barley 0 0-0 0, Beadea 1 0-0 2, Hill 1 0-1 2, Anderson 3 0-0 6. Totals 34 8-14 78.

Line Mtn. 9 9 12 14 - 44

Steel-Hi 25 13 24 16 - 78

3-point FGs: Long 2, M. Lagerman, Lahr, Hess-Moore 2.

SELINSGROVE - During the offseason, one of the most coveted 358 modified rides available belonged to car owner Norm Hansell. About a month and a half ago, Hansell named multi-time Grandview track champion Jeff Strunk as his driver for 2011.

Friday night at Selinsgrove Speedway for the opening night of the RoC Icebreaker IV Weekend, Strunk took his new ride to victory lane. Strunk, of Bethel, started on the pole by the luck of the draw and led all 25 laps to go on to the $3,750 win.

He held off the challenges of Stewart Friesen for a majority of the race. With five laps to go, Strunk began to have oil smoke blowing from his engine but he still had enough power to hold off all challengers for the win.

Jimmy Horton, Jr. came from sixth to finish second with eighth place starter Duane Howard ending up third. Friesen, who started third, ran the final three laps with a left rear flat and settled for fourth, with 12th-place starter Danny Johnson capturing fifth on the final lap.

"This was a good way to start off my relationship with Norm Hansell," said the smiling race winner. "Obviously having a good draw helps, but also we had a fast race car and it was fast right out of the trailer. It is good to be fast and be on top of the leader board. We got a great crew with Norm's guys and my guys who came over with me I can't wait for the year. "

FINISH: Jeff Strunk, Jimmy Horton, Jr., Duane Howard, Stewart Friesen, Danny Johnson, Pat Ward, Frank Cozze, Jr., Ryan Godown, Larry Wight, Randy Sherlock, Justin Holland, Larry Solomon, Danny Creeden, Wade Hendrickson, Mike Nicholas, Ryan Watt, Doug Manmiller, Mike Gular, John Stangle, Tom Umbenhauer, Ray Swinehart, Colt Harris, Billy Pauch, Billy Decker, Ray Bliss, Jr., Craig Whitmoyer.

Selinsgrove - Two years in ago in this same event at Selinsgrove Speedway, it appeared that Ryan Godown was the winner of the feature until coming up 17 pounds light at the scales, handing the win to Danny Johnson.

On Saturday evening at the Selinsgrove Speedway, it appeared that first time visitor Dale Planck wired the star studded field for the RoC Icebreaker IV feature win. However, at the scales Planck came up 15 pounds light and after being weighed several times, he was disqualified.

Pat Ward who crossed in second rolled his car on the scales and he too came up 15 pounds light. The Ward car was weighed several times also and he was also disqualified.

Danny Johnson who started 16th and crossed the line in third made weight and was named the winner of the race. The Rochester, N.Y. driver wheeling the Mike Petruska owned Teo Pro car claimed the $5,275 feature win.

Billy Decker, who started 17th, ended up second with 12th place starter Brett Hearn winding up third. Dan Vauter, who started 19th, finished fourth with Jimmy Horton, Jr., who started eighth but had to pit to replace a flat left rear tire on lap eight, came all the way back to fifth.

"Hard to believe that I won another feature here in the same way I did two years ago," said the smiling Johnson in victory lane.

Ward and Billy Van InWegen brought the 30 car starting field to green. Ward, who said that he wanted to get to the top first in the first turn, got the lead over Dale Planck, Billy Pauch, Jr., Craig Von Dohren, and Van InWegen.

Planck, in his first ever appearance at the track, motored past Ward to take the lead on lap two.

FINISH: Danny Johnson, Billy Decker, Brett Hearn, Dan Vauter, Jimmy Horton, Jr., Rick Laubach, Wade Hendrickson, Matt Sheppard, Bobby Varin, Billy Pauch, Rob Bellinger, Danny Creeden ( 16x ), Billy Van InWegen, Danny Tyler, Larry Wight, Rich Scagliotta, Stewart Friesen, Richie Pratt, Jr., Todd Burley, Gary Tomkins, Willy Decker, Kevin Bates, Glenn Strunk, Brett Tonkin, Craig Von Dohren, Billy Pauch, Jr., Jason Rood, Larry Solomon.

DQ: Dale Planck, Pat Ward.

The Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame will be holding its induction ceremonies this Saturday. Every night this week, bios of those elected to the hall will appear in The News-Item.

Father Patrick Devine

As football became the dominant sport in the Anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania, the running back position was always considered the glamour position. After all, Wally Diehl, Len Eshmont, Steve Filipowicz, Joe Pezelski, Joe Diminick, Jim Darrup and others were the players looked up to by youngsters waiting in line to play.

Pat Devine helped to change all that by playing the quarterback position at Mount Carmel Catholic High like no one had done before.

He not only handed off or threw once in a while, he ran the ball and made the Rams offense difficult to defend. Thrust into the starting job by coach Frank Ulicny as a sophomore, Pat helped the Catholic High team develop into one that had to be reckoned with.

As a senior in 1960, Devine threw for 10 touchdowns and add eight more on the ground in leading that team to a 7-3 record and Catholic High's first winning season since 1949. That Ram team scored 243 points, surpassed only by the 256 put up by Catholic's 1940 team. They finished as the runner-up in the Anthracite Catholic League to Shamokin Catholic, a team it lost to by a 6-0 score in a real slugfest. That 1960 team marked a turn in the road for Catholic High fortunes, laying the groundwork for the Rams' teams of the future. Devine put himself in the middle of any quarterback discussion including Joe Buchinski and Greg Doviak as the greatest of their time.

For his efforts as a senior, Devine was named to the first team of the Anthracite Catholic League all-star team for the second year running, and placed second in the league's MVP voting. On a larger scale, Devine was given honorable mention by the Associated Press all state team, as well as, the 1960 Big 33 team. By the way, the quarterback on those teams was Joe Namath.

Devine also starred on the basketball court and baseball diamond for the Rams for four years running. His efforts were responsible for his being named the Student Athlete of the Year at the annual banquet at the Elks lodge in 1961.

Following his graduation in 1961. Devine entered Resurrection College in Kitchner, Ontario, completing his Bachelor in Philosophy degree in 1965. He then entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. and graduated in 1959 with his M.A. in Theology. He was ordained into the priesthood on May 23, 1969 at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Harrisburg. His assignments as an assistant Pastor from 1969-1980 included St. Francis of Assisi, Harrisburg, St. Joseph's in Mechanicsburg, St. Leo's in Rohrerstown and St. Francis Xavier in Gettysburg. He became Pastor of St. John Neumann in Lancaster from 1980, and stayed there until 1994, when he moved to St. Columba's in Bloomsburg until 2009. He currently serves as the Chaplain at Maria Hall in Danville.

Brian J. Bubnis

Brian Bubnis began his athletic career as a defensive tackle for legendary coach Mike Terry from 1959-61. He immediately was recognized as one of the strongest players to ever play for the Tornadoes at that time. Bubnis ended his career on the field as Coach Terry succumbed to a fatal heart attack after a come-from-behind win over Shamokin. He moved on to Fork Union Military Academy where he dominated opponents as a defensive tackle. He was a teammate and roommate of fellow classmate and hall of famer, Norb Bonjo. His play earned him a full scholarship as a defensive tackle to the University of Pittsburgh to play for head coaches John Michelosen and Dick Hart.

Bubnis graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.

Following graduation, Bubnis played offensive guard for the Pottstown Firebirds, a Philadelphia Eagles Farm Club at the time.

Bubnis has worked in the financial industry since 1973. He began with Hornblower Weeks; then Kidder Peabody in 1976; moved to Shearson American Express, and then to Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Bubnis is currently a Senior Vice President with MSSB in Wyomissing. He has been recognized with a selection to the President's Council from 1996-2008 and the Century Club from 2009 to the present; thus demonstrating long-term and consistent achievement for his clients.

Bubnis is a passionate supporter and lover of the arts and his surrounding community, donating his time serving as Board President of the Community School of Music (CSMA) since 1991 as well as several other organizations including: The Goggle Works, Berks Arts Council, Reading Public Museum and Historical Society of Berks County.

A resident of Reading since 1970, he and his wife, Carol are the proud parents of three daughters: Stefanie, Natalie and Caroline all who reside in New York City.

The Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame will be holding its induction ceremonies this Saturday. Every day this week, bios of those elected to the hall will appear in The News-Item.

Fred "Fritz" Murdock

Little Kulpmont High School has produced many outstanding football players over the years, so it's not surprising that another takes his place in the Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Fred Murdock was one of those hard-nosed, tough, do-anything type of players so prevalent at the time. Murdock was a four-year letter winner with the Wildcats at four different positions. He began as a defensive guard for coach Bob Magalski during the 1948 season and moved to center in 1949. He took over the starting offensive guard position with the '50 Wildcats, a team that went 8-2 with one of its losses to the great George Welsh Coaldale team by a 26-13 score.

In a complete surprise, Magalski left Kulpmont for Larksville, leaving the team to Ed Stavinski and Bob Balant and assistants Joe Diminick and Joe Pezelski. Murdock then made the move to fullback in a backfield that included Sugar Lashendock and Harry Malick. Murdock ran for 175 yards against the Ashland Black Diamonds, helping the team to an undefeated season. Only a canceled game with Tamaqua (and a subsequent loss of points for Kulpmont) kept the Wildcats from the Eastern Conference crown.

After graduating from Kulpmont in 1952, Murdock took his talents to Mansfield University, where he started as a defensive guard and fullback as a freshman. He left to join the Navy as a flight crew member in a Neptune bomber squadron that patrolled the shorelines of Japan during the Korean conflict.

Murdock continued playing and coaching football and baseball during his service career.

Murdock was eventually assigned to the USS Kitty Hawk, an aircraft carrier patrolling the coast of Viet Nam in the South China Sea and did so for six years. He then left for Antarctica, and is believed to have organized the first football ever in the Southern Hemisphere. They lined the ice with used oil from their vehicles and played until the football burst from the frigid weather.

Murdock died in June, 2010 but will always be recognized as one of those greats from little Kulpmont High School.

Stephen Maciejewski

Stephen Maciejewski has earned his way into the Hall by virtue of his consistency and athletic abilities in three sports - football, basketball and baseball.

Maciejewski was a three-sport star at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional from 1981-1984. He was a four-year letter winner in football for coaches Ron Grzyboski and Bob Chesney. Although his first three years under Grzyboski were not significant, they definitely set the groundwork for what happened in 1983. Maciejewski was one of the co-captains on Chesney's first team in 1983 that went 9-1, with its only loss coming to Marian Catholic by a 9-6 score. For his efforts, "Mash" was given honorable mention all-state by the Associated Press.

Playing for coach John McKay, Maciejewski was again a four-year letter winner for the Raider basketball team. As a senior, Stephen was named the M.V.P. at the annual K of C Tournament and averaged eight points per game along with 10 rebounds per game. That year, the Raiders went 21-3 in the regular season, posting a 13-game win streak along the way, before losing to Tamaqua in the league championship by a 63-48 score. They defeated Athens 62-49 to claim the District 4 championship. Lourdes eventually lost in the eastern final to Delone Catholic and conclude the campaign with a fine 27-5 record. The Raiders won 82 games during the four years Maciejewski was with the team (82-37).

Maciejewski also played baseball while at Lourdes for coach Tom Ryan during his first three years and Frank Marcinek as a senior. He earned the coveted Bat Award for having the highest batting average in both his junior and senior seasons.

Maciejewski then pursued his education at Bloomsburg University, where he played football for the Huskies under coach Jim Landis, until a severe ankle injury shortened an otherwise promising career. He graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a specialization in mathematics.

Maciejewski first took a position at the Glen Mills school in Concordville, a private, court-adjudicated school for troubled boys. He then moved to Red Lion, accepting a teaching position for the South Eastern School District. During his time there, Steve has been actively involved in the school's sports programs. He served as an assistant football coach for South Eastern in the 90's and coached junior varsity girls' basketball for 11 years.

Currently, Maciejewski is a youth league official for basketball and is the York youth coordinator for Red Lion Youth Basketball Association. He is also a PIAA basketball official. He has been active with the Red Lion Area High School Boys Basketball Booster Club and gives his time as a Eucharistic Minister for St Joseph's church in Dallastown.

Maciejewski is married to Donna DeWitt, formerly of Towanda. Together, they have three children, Todd, Erica and Amy.

Selinsgrove's Blane Heimbach upset the field in the Port Royal Speedway season opener for sprint cars on Saturday night.

Heimbach took the lead from Todd Shaffer on lap eight and was never seriously challenged over the final 17 laps to record his second career win in the more powerful 410 sprint cars. Heimbach is a regular in the 358 sprints at Selinsgrove and Williams Grove Speedways.

Shaffer returned to a Gary and Patty Beam sprinter after they announced their retirement at the end of last year. The Beams own the trailer and the engine, while Shaffer owns everything else. His night came to an end on lap 10 when a tire blew and he hit the wall.

Stevie Smith came from 11th to finish second ahead of Mark Smith, Tyler Walker and Lance Dewease.

Pat Cannon won the 358 sprint feature over Nate Hammaker and teenager Logan Schuchart.

At Williams Grove Speedway on Friday night, it was Smith winning the season opener over Walker, Doug Esh, Dewease and Cory Haas. Smith led every lap at the line, but had to drive back by Walker in turn four with five laps to go.

Cannon won the 358 sprint opener over Scott Geesey and Billy Dietrich.

Danny Dietrich won the 410 sprint feature at Lincoln Speedway for his first win of the season. Dietrich took the lead early and dominated the remainder of the race. Fred Rahmer, Alan Krimes, Justin Collett and Brian Leppo were in the top five.

Gene Knaub opened the 358 late model season with a win over Steve Weikel and Bernie Beard. Danny Beard was the thundercar winner.

Jeff Strunk of Bechtelsville led all 25 laps of the Race of Champions 358 modified season opener at Selinsgrove Speedway on Friday night. He earned $2,200. Jimmy Horton, Duane Howard, Stewart Friesen and Danny Johnson completed the top five.

On Saturday night at Selinsgrove, New York's Danny Johnson was awarded the win in the Race of Champions big block modified Icebreaker. Johnson collected $4,000 after apparent winner Dale Planck and runner-up Pat Ward were light at the scales and disqualified. Billy Decker, Brett Hearn, Dan Vauter and Jimmy Horton completed the top five.

Selinsgrove kicks off its regular season this Saturday at 6 p.m. with 358 sprints and pro stocks.

Racing Recap

Friday

Selinsgrove Speedway

358 Modifieds, 25 laps: 1. Jeff Strunk. 2. Jimmy Horton. 3. Duane Howard. 4. Stewart Friesen. 5. Danny Johnson. 6. Pat Ward. 7. Frank Cozze Jr. 8. Ryan Godown. 9. Larry Wight. 10. Randy Sherlock.

Heats: Larry Solomon, Johnson, Friesen, Ryan Watt, Howard, Billy Pauch Sr.

Consolations: Ward, Colt Harris, Mike Gular.

Non-qualifiers feature: Neil Williams.

Williams Grove Speedway

410 Sprints, 25 laps: 1. Stevie Smith. 2. Tyler Walker. 3. Doug Esh. 4. Lance Dewease. 5. Cory Haas. 6. Aaron Ott. 7. Adam Wilt. 8. Greg Hodnett. 9. Brian Leppo. 10. Steve Buckwalter.

Heats: Leppo, Wilt, Ott.

Consolation: Justin Henderson.

358 Sprints, 20 laps: 1. Pat Cannon. 2. Scott Geesey. 3. Billy Dietrich. 4. Blane Heimbach. 5. Chad Trout. 6. Dale Hammaker. 7. Adrian Shaffer. 8. Kyle Moody. 9. Glenndon Forsythe. 10. Logan Schuchart.

Heats: Heimbach, Trout, Hammaker.

Consolation: Ted Thomas.

Saturday

Lincoln Speedway

410 Sprints, 25 laps: 1. Danny Dietrich. 2. Fred Rahmer. 3. Alan Krimes. 4. Justin Collett. 5. Brian Leppo. 6. Brian Montieth. 7. Brad McClelland. 8. Adam Lawrence. 9. Doug Esh. 10. Jim Siegel.

Heats: Krimes, Dietrich, Doug Dodson.

358 Late Models, 20 laps: 1. Gene Knaub. 2. Steve Weikel. 3. Bernie Beard. 4. Grant Adams. 5. Craig Wagaman. 6. Chase Billett. 7. Bruce Kane. 8. Steve Clabaugh. 9. Charlie Schaffer. 10. Travis Mease.

Heats: Adams, Schaffer, Jamie Lathroum.

Thundercars, 20 laps: 1. Danny Beard. 2. Sam Gallagher. 3. Brian Walls. 4. Mikey Guise. 5. Jimmy Combs.

Heats: Gallagher, Jamie Zentmyer.

Port Royal Speedway

410 Sprints, 25 laps: 1. Blane Heimbach. 2. Stevie Smith. 3. Mark Smith. 4. Tyler Walker. 5. Lance Dewease. 6. Mike Wagner. 7. Mike Erdley. 8. Ryan Taylor. 9. Davey Sammons. 10. Daryn Pittman.

Heats: Dewease, Lynton Jeffrey.

358 Sprints, 20 laps: 1. Pat Cannon. 2. Nate Hammaker. 3. Logan Schuchart. 4. Steve Buckwalter. 5. Matt Horst. 6. Nate Snyder. 7. Colby Womer. 8. Ted Thomas. 9. Steve Storrie. 10. Dale Hammaker.

Heats: Cannon, Schuchart.

Selinsgrove Speedway

Icebreaker 40 Big Block Modifieds, 40 laps: 1. Danny Johnson. 2. Billy Decker. 3. Brett Hearn. 4. Dan Vauter. 5. Jimmy Horton. 6. Rick Laubach. 7. Wade Hendrickson. 8. Matt Sheppard. 9. Bobby Varin. 10. Billy Pauch Sr.

Heats: Horton, Billy Vaninwegen, Craig VonDohren, Pat Ward, Rob Bellinger, Billy Pauch Jr.

B-mains: Vauter, Pauch Sr. Richie Pratt.

Match Races: Bellinger.

Trail-Way Speedway

600 Micro Sprints, 20 laps: 1. Eric Bodine. 2. Jimmy Brookens. 3. Tyler Ross. 4. Shane Hoff. 5. Tyler Esh.

270 Micro Sprints, 20 laps: 1. Todd Hoover. 2. Jim Still. 3. Sean McAndrew. 4. Richie Hartman. 5. Daniel Souder.

Sidewinder Sprints, 20 laps: 1. Ben Murphy. 2. Joe Robertson. 3. Alex Schanz. 4. Keith Ford. 5. Rohan Beasley.

World of Outlaw Sprint Cars

Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, Calif.

A-main, 35 laps: 1. Joey Saldana. 2. Jason Meyers. 3. Donny Schatz. 4. Jac Haudenschild. 5. Sammy Swindell. 6. Steve Kinser. 7. Jason Sides. 8. Paul McMahon. 9. Jonathan Allard. 10. Tim Kaeding.

Fast Time: Meyers, 12.794.

Heats: McMahon, Ben Gregg, Swindell.

Dash: Haudenschild.

B-main: Bill Rose.

The National Hot Rod Association marks its 60th anniversary in 2011.

Locally, two of three quarter-mile facilities are NHRA sanctioned, Numidia and Maple Grove. Beaver Springs races under the International Hot Rod Association banner.

Numidia Dragway opened for action in 1964, sat dormant for a few years in the 1980s, but has grown into a premier facility under the Bob Dimino family, entering its sixth season of ownership.

Dimino, a former drag racer in the 70s and 80s who still gets behind the wheel occasionally, has poured his heart and soul into the Columbia County quarter-mile, offering the racers a clean, safe facility with a family atmosphere.

"We try to give the racers what they want, and while other tracks had a down year last year, we improved by 14 percent," he said. "We offer a great racing surface along with good payouts to keep the racers coming back."

Quality foods, camping areas, souvenir stands, a huge playground area and clean restrooms are just some of the amnesties that Dimino offers for the racers and fans.

Improvements this season include a newer and safer playground area and gym set for the next generation of racers and a huge overhaul of the shutdown area, which was a concern in recent seasons with the increased speeds of the racers.

This season, Dimino was quick to mention the return of the exciting All Harley Drag Racing Association (May 21-22) along with a few new events on the 2011 slate.

The track will open for racing action Friday, April 1 with street legal drags. Saturday will be a test and tune session and Sunday, April 3, will be the first Summit Series points event of the season. The weekly schedule will remain that way, with the exception of special events.

Jet fans will be happy to see three visits throughout the season, as Al Hanna will have his jet funny car and dragster in action Memorial Day Weekend, while KC Jones will be a part of the July 4 show and return in early September.

Other special shows include $10,000-to-win, super stock versus stock class challenge event on May 7, the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Drag Racing Association on May 15 and Aug. 14, NADM East Coast Diesel Nationals July 16, Locust Township Police Officers Car Show July 23, The Bug Rumble Volkswagen Drag Show and plenty of other action for the weekly racers as well.

Dimino's son, Vinny, is the 2010 NHRA Northeast Division One Super Pro Champion. Bob Dimino downplayed his own pending induction into the 2011 Class of the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame during the Oct. 14-16 weekend in Henderson, N.C.

Following along the lines of offering value for the dollar, "Beaver Bob" McCardle has continued to carve and nurture the niche' market at Beaver Springs Dragway.

The International Hot Rod Association facility has become known as the nostalgia track of the east coast, with the popular 8th annual York Nostalgia Nationals July 9-10, the exciting Aug. 12, Friday night under the lights, "Flashback Friday" of nostalgia super stockers, the fifth annual Jalopy Showdown Drags and the recently added Gasser Magazine-Gasser Reunion June 11-12, which already has 25 blown AA/GS Willy's and Anglia's pre-entered.

Entering its 40th season of racing, accolades continue to be bestowed upon the track, as it earned the 2010 IHRA Division Three Summit Super Series Track of the Year honors.

McCardle, a second generation racer-turned promoter, has seen it all during his years of operating the track, and is quick to mention that he would rather have his family atmosphere at his track rather than the high pressure feel of other tracks.

"I don't pay high dollar event purses, never have and never will. Our track is not about big money, it is about having fun. Family fun and affordable prices keep my racers coming back and I want to keep it that way," stated McCardle. "We cater to the family racers, and especially the young kids. They are our future."

McCardle has been known to do some off the wall things, but one that he is most proud of is the TCR or Teen Challenge Racing Program that he created.

The TCR offers kids under 16 a chance to drag race in a full-sized car and experience the thrill of competition. Full safety equipment is required, and a parent or legal guardian must be in the passenger seat. They only race to the eighth mile marker. Many of his young stars have risen to some of the top racers in years past. The popular junior dragsters and his recently developed junior ATV racing programs continue to build interest for the youngsters, as they develop into the drag racing world.

Former Beaver Springs regular and IHRA Stock Eliminator World Champion, Michael Beard stated recently that Beaver Springs has the greatest kids racing program in the USA, prompting the "We grow Kids" response from McCardle.

The track opens this weekend for test and tune sessions, while next weekend will be the first full weekend of action. Besides the aforementioned nostalgia events, other special shows include the Memorial Day Weekend featuring Bob Motz's 200 MPH-plus Jet Kenworth, MANDRA and Pro Stick Series classes along with Summit Series racing action. The entire program returns during the Labor Day weekend.

Weekly action includes Friday night street racing, while Saturdays are reserved for test and tune sessions. Sundays, the racers battle for valuable Summit Series points.

Entering the eve of its golden anniversary season, Berks County's Maple Grove Raceway has a full plate of weekly racing programs along with various special event shows, including the 27th annual Uni-Select Auto Plus Nationals, the third of six races in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship of the 2011 season.

Located just south of Reading, Maple Grove has been the home to many historic events including the first NHRA side-by-side, four second top fuel run between Joe Amato and Shirley Muldowney. Mike Dunn and Blaine Johnson were the first side-by-side 300 MPH pass. Various other record breaking runs have been contested at Maple Grove.

During the recent NHRA Northeast Division One (NED) banquet, Maple Grove was awarded the NED Track of the Year honors for the 12th time, besting 14 other member tracks in the division.

"We are proud of what we have here," said communications director Evan Jones. "We work hard to keep this good for the racers, as many tracks in the division continue to improve, including Numidia Dragway, and we stay on top of things to succeed."

Racing action officially begins with the first Sunoco Race Fuels Money Trail event on Sunday, May 1, and continues weekly until the King of the Track race on Sept. 11.

Notable special events include the first-ever visit to the Northeast by the American Drag Racing League on May 6-7; Pontiacs at the Grove, May 22; The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, May 26-29; Yuengling Beer presents the Geezers at the Grove July 2-3; July 15-17 finds the Super Chevy Weekend; the NHRA Full Throttle Series Uni-Select Auto Plus Nationals are scheduled for September 29-October 2 and the Pennsylvania Dutch Classic event is October 13-16.

Salvation Army Basketball Tournament

Adult teams may sign up for the annual Salvation Army benefit basketball tournament set for Friday through Sunday, April 15 to 17, at the Shamokin Area High School gymnasium. Cost is $125 per team. Checks payable to Salvation Army should be mailed by March 31 to Chris Venna, 2000 W. State St., Coal Township 17866. For more information, e-mail or call Venna at cvenna@indians.k12.pa.us or 205-1144.

Shamokin/Coal Township Girls Softball

Shamokin Area High School softball team will hold open gym for girls in grades 4-7 on the second and fourth Sundays of the month in the annex gym. Girls playing 10-under will practice noon to 1:30 p.m., while girls playing 12-under will practice 1:30 to 3 p.m. Open gyms will continue through April.

Mount Carmel Junior League

Seeking persons interested in umpiring league games this season. For information, call Phil Rosko at 716-1176, or Bob Fisher at 933-9498.

Junior League Baseball Practice/Registration

Indoor practice began March 1 at the Cabrini Youth Center, Cherry and Webster streets, Shamokin, for Shamokin-Coal Township division of the Mount Carmel Junior Baseball League for players 8-12. Ages 8-10 practice Tuesday through Friday, 5:30-6:45 p.m. Ages 11-12 practice Tuesday through Friday, 6:45-8 p.m. Indoor practice for players 4-7 in T-Ball or rookie ball will be held Monday, March 28, 5:30-6:45 p.m. Youths not registered for the 2011 season may attend any of the above practice dates and times that are age appropriate. For information, contact Leo Mirolli at 648-0186.

Cabrini Teener League

Practices will be every Tuesday and Thursday through March, 8-9:30 p.m. For information or for any players ages 13-15 wishing to register, contact Shawn Kalinoski at 648-0526.

Pitch, Hit and Run Competition

Cabrini Baseball Organization is hosting a free Aquafina Major League Baseball pitch, hit and run competition for area youth, Saturday, April 16, 4 p.m. at the Cabrini Baseball Complex in the Springfield section of Coal Township. Competition will be in four age groups: 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14, with the opportunity to advance through four levels of competition, including team championships at Major League parks and the national finals at the 2011 MLB All-Star Game. Individual pitching, hitting and running champions, along with all-around champion in each age group at the local competition will advance to the sectional level of competition. Participants must provide a copy of their birth certificate and fill out a registration/waiver form prior to the start of competition. For information, contact Leo Mirolli at 648-0186 or chiryo@aol.com. Rain date is Sunday, May 1, 1 p.m.

Mount Carmel Area Wellness Activities

The Mount Carmel Area School District is making some of its facilities available to the general public. On Sundays, the elementary gym will be open for basketball for students between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. for a cost of $2, and for adults between 6:30 and 8 p.m. for a cost of $4 per person. There will also be an open swim at the pool on Sundays from 6 - 8 p.m. for all ages. Cost is $2 for students and $4 for adults. Elementary students must be accompanied by a parent for Sunday events. Stationary bike riding will be held for high school students from 2:30 - 3 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and for community members from 6-6:45 p.m. on Tuesdays. The program is sponsored by Highmark Healthy High 5. The stadium track will be closed to walkers until the renovations are complete.

Line Mountain Youth Baseball Clinic

With B2B Baseball, Saturday, March 26 at Line Mountain High School. Players ages 8-11 from 9 a.m. to noon, players ages 12-15 from 1-4 p.m. Cost is $50 per player. Clinicians will be former Line Mountain baseball standouts Marc Shoenfelt and Chad Derck. Shoenfelt is the founder of B2B Baseball, while Derck served seven seasons as the assistant coach at Kutztown University. Topics covered will be hitting, fielding and throwing fundamentals. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Line Mountain baseball team. Those interested may register online by going to www.B2Bbaseball.com. Registration will also be available at the event. You may pay online with a credit card. At the event, only cash or checks will be accepted.

S-CT Little League Registration

Registration is now permitted during business hours at the Miller Family Health Center. New players must bring their birth certificate. All players must be signed up by a parent or legal guardian. Fee is $30 for the first child, and $15 for each additional child per family.

Derek Crowl Memorial Basketball Tournament

Looking for teams to fill out a 16-team tournament for the weekend of April 2-3. Games will be played at the Ralpho Township gym in Elysburg. Teams must have at least five players, with no more than eight. Entry fee is $50, with a monetary prize for the top two teams. All proceeds will be placed in a scholarship fund at Southern Columbia School District. For more information, contact Shelly at 933-0019 or Dan at 336-9805. Deadline to enter is March 31.

Anthracite Heritage Festival 5K Run or Walk

Saturday, May 28 at Shamokin Area's Kemp Memorial Stadium. Registration for the 3.1 mile race begins at 7:30 a.m., race begins at 9 a.m. Entry fee is $15 for each runner or walker, and only pre-registered entrants are guaranteed a t-shirt and goodie bag. Age categories range from 14 and under to over 60. Register online at http://www.raceforum.com/events2011.asp. For more information, call Sandy Winhofer at 648-4675.

Mount Carmel Junior Baseball League

Final registration, Wednesday, March 23 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Mount Carmel borough hall on Fourth and Vine streets. Any child between four and 12 years old is invited to register. A copy of birth certificate or baptismal certificate is necessary and fee is $20. Those still interested but unable to attend can call Jack Spade at 975-6493.

Pennsylvania Wrestling Federation Qualifier

The Benton Tiger Wrestling Club and Pennsylvania Wrestling Federation are jointly hosting a freestyle and greco roman state qualifier at Benton Elementary School on March 27. Weigh-ins for greco start at 8 a.m., with wrestling starting at 9:30. Weigh-ins for freestyle starts at 11:30 a.m., with wrestling beginning at 1 p.m. For more information, go to http://www.usapawf.com/tournaments/benton.html or call Scott Hughes at 574-864-3916.

Bernie Romanoski Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame

The 27th annual induction ceremony breakfast will be held Saturday, April 30 at 10 a.m. at Masser's Banquet Hall in Paxinos. Tickets can be ordered by calling Bernie Romanoski, Jr. at 644-0925 by Monday, April 25.

Mount Carmel Elementary Wrestling

Swim party, Saturday, March 26, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the high school pool. All Mount Carmel elementary wrestlers are invited. Uniforms will be turned in at this time.

The Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame will be holding its induction ceremonies this Saturday. Every day this week, biographies of those elected to the hall will appear in The News-Item.

Anthony Paskevich

Anthony "Tony" Paskevich began his athletic career as a football player for coach Walter Levine and his Mount Carmel High School Red Tornadoes in the fall of 1932.

Paskevich was part of the first team to ever play in the Silver Bowl in a 0-0 tie versus Porter Township. The Tornadoes then won their first game at their new stadium over Saint Clair by a 13-0 score. Paskevich played for three years, mostly as a center, completing his senior year for coach Albert Jones. He was described as having 'fight, grit, will, and determination.' He also played basketball for Jones during his junior and senior seasons.

Following graduation in 1935, Paskevich was originally slated to attend Gettysburg College, but somehow found himself at Wyoming Seminary in Kingston. He then made his way to the Orangemen of Syracuse University. He became a three-year player and two-year letterman for coach Ossie Solem, who was assisted by the great Bud Wilkinson. Syracuse managed a 13-8-2 record during Paskevich's time there, including wins over Penn State and Maryland. One of Tony's teammates and friends was future Michigan State coach Duffy Daugherty. Both Daugherty and Wilkinson have been inducted into the collegiate Hall of Fame. Paskevich was chosen to captain the '39 team at Syracuse, and also earned a varsity letter as a boxer and one with the track team.

He graduated in 1942 with a degree in electrical engineering, then enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as an Ensign in the Philippines during World War II.

After the war, Paskevich and his wife, Carolyn, returned to the area and settled in Hazleton, where he took a position with PPL. He then moved back to Syracuse and was the principal electrical engineer for Allied Chemical. After a short time in New Jersey, Paskevich retired in North Carolina, where he was an avid golfer and played almost daily. After returning to Syracuse, Paskevich died in 1999.

Tony joins his brother Joseph, a 1991 inductee into the Romance Chapter, as honorees of the organization. Joe played at Fordham with Vince Lombardi and Len Eshmont. Paskevich had three children, Tony Jr., Penny and Linda and eight grandchildren.

Willliam P. "Billy" O'Brien

During his high school career at Mount Carmel Catholic, O'Brien was recognized as one of the best basketball players to play in the area up to that time.

He starred for four years with the Rams, finishing his career with 1,068 points, and is believed to be the first local player to register 1,000 points in his career. Tom Vershinski did it at Mount Carmel in 1955, while Charlie Griscavage concluded his Catholic High career in 1957 surpassing the 1,000-point mark. O'Brien and Griscavage remain as the only two players to surpass the mark in Catholic High history, while both still reside in the top 20 of St. Ed's, Lourdes and Mount Carmel Catholic combined. Catholic High played in the tough Central Penn Catholic League at

that time, but O'Brien still managed to lead the league in scoring as a senior.

Following his graduation in 1954, O'Brien spent six years working for the Public Utility Commission in Harrisburg. During this time, he played basketball for the Locust Gap Apollos, a semi-pro team in the 50s and 60s. O'Brien spent two years with the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps.

In 1962, O'Brien was approached by John Barr, the head basketball coach at Susquehanna University, and was offered a full scholarship to play for the Crusaders. (Barr is an inductee in the inaugural class of the Ed Romance Chapter in 1978).

O'Brien lettered each of his four years with the Crusaders and was named a captain in both his junior and senior seasons. O'Brien ranked third in scoring for Susquehanna in each of his three years as a starter. He scored 892 points, averaging 12.8 points per game in his three years as a starter, leading his team in shooting 85 percent from the foul line and 52 percent from the field during the 1966 campaign. Two of his teammates, Rick Eppenheimer and Clark Mosier, still rank as the two highest scorers in SU history.

After graduating from Susquehanna in 1966, O'Brien was employed as an accountant for Weis Markets, Inc. in Sunbury. During his first two years at Weis, he served as the junior varsity coach at Susquehanna. O'Brien remained with Weis Markets for 34 years retiring as controller in March of 2000.

O'Brien married the former Mary Louise Todorowski in 1961. They currently reside in Lewisburg and are the parents of three sons: William Jr., James and Stephen.

Anthracite Heritage run scheduled

COAL TOWNSHIP - The Anthracite Heritage Festival of the Arts will hold its second annual 5K run or walk on Saturday, May 28 at Shamokin Area's Kemp Memorial Stadium.

Registration on the day of the race begins at 7:30 a.m., with the race kicking off at 9 a.m. Entry fee for each participant is $15, and only pre-registered entrants are guaranteed a t-shirt and goodie bag.

There will be awards for the fastest overall male and female runners, as well as top three in each of seven age categories ranging from 14-and-under to 60-plus.

There will be water stops, bathrooms and post-race refreshments available.

To register, visit http://www.raceforum.com/events2011.asp or contact Sandy Winhofer at 648-4675 with any questions.

Proceeds will benefit the Anthracite Heritage Festival of the Arts.

The Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame is holding induction ceremonies Saturday. Every day this week, biographies of those being honored are appearing in The News-Item.

JOSEPH 'JAZZ' DIMINICK MALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE

IAN KANEZO

Ian Kanezo has earned 13 varsity letters in four different sports at Mount Carmel Area.

He has been a four-year member of and letter winner in the boys soccer program at. He was a captain during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, and has been the leading goal scorer in each of the four years. He was an honorable mention News Item all-area soccer player as a junior and was named to the all-area soccer team in 2010.

During the fall campaign, he doubled as a kicker for the 2010 Red Tornado football team, converting on his first 25 extra points to start the season and finishing with 43 out of 44 conversions. He also added a field goal. He kicked off, averaging 44 yards 58 kicks. Following the season, he was named the Joseph F. Greco Scholar Athlete.

Kanezo has also been a four-year player with the Tornado basketball team for coach John Lazicki. He was a two-year starter and was the captain during the 2010-11 season. Kanezo is also a high jumper for the Tornado track team and has been a District 4 qualifier for the past three years.

Kanezo has also proven himself in the classroom where he is a National Honor Society student. He has distinguished himself as a member of the prestigious 700 Club for attaining over a 700 on his math SATs. He was named a MCA School Board Merit Award winner for November 2009 and has served as the captain of the Scholastic Scrimmage Team.

In addition, Ian has been a member of the school chorus, Spanish Club, Tech Club and has taken part in the annual school musicals in the spring. He is the son of Chris and Dawn Kanezo and plans to attend Bucknell University to study Engineering.

ST. PAULINE VISINTAINER SCHOLAR

CHRISTINE MROZEK

Christine Mrozek, a senior at Mount Carmel Area High School, is on track to become the valedictorian of her 2011 class at Mount Carmel Area.

She is president of the National Honor Society, Future Nurses of America, and the Art Club. Her involvement with the Odyssey of the Mind helped her team to a sixth-place finish at the world finals in 2010.

She received the Sisters of Cyril Methodius Servant Leadership Award in 2010, has won the local Voice of Democracy competition and received the National Language Arts Achievement Award from the United Sates Achievement Academy.

She is also involved with the gifted program, Science Club, envirothon team, homecoming float committee, and the scholastic scrimmage team. Mrozek has been named an Elks Student of the month, as well as a Rotary Student of the month for September. She has also earned her way into the prestigious 1300 Club.

Athletically, she is a four-year letter winner with the girls track team as a thrower and has qualified for districts as a freshman, sophomore and junior in the shot, finishing fourth in the 2010 District 4 meet.

She was with the district qualifying girls soccer team in 2007 and 2008, and switched to volleyball as a junior. She was named a captain as a senior and was the recipient of the Coach's Award. Mrozek was also a part of the resurgence of girls basketball at MCA when she was a player on the 2009 and 2010 district playoff teams.

Mrozek organized and created the haunted high school during her freshman year, and it has served as a fundraiser for the gifted program. She is also very involved with the Interact Club and has helped with food and toy drives for those less fortunate in our local area.

Mrozek's many interests also include art, for which she has been named artist of the month by the News-Item. She has been named Best in Show at the annual MCA art show and was nominated to be a WVIA artist of the week.

Mrozek has also been an active member of Holy Angels Parish, where she has been an altar server and lector, and has helped with CCD classes. She has also donated many hours to the parish picnic at Holy Angels.

She is the daughter or Ray and Maribeth Mrozek of Kulpmont and plans to attend Elizabethtown College in their premedical and honors program with the hopes of becoming a surgeon.

JOSEPH D. WASILEWSKI FEMALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE

BRIGID DEMKO

Brigid Demko has managed to excel both in the classroom and on the athletic fields for Mount Carmel Area High School.

When she graduates, Demko will have earned 11 varsity letters in three sports. She has been a huge part of the girls soccer program, starting for four years as a midfielder.

Demko, a three year captain, was named to the second team all area soccer team in 2010 after an honorable mention spot in 2009.

In addition to soccer, she as been an integral part of the success of the girls basketball program. The girls recently won the Division II Championship of the Heartland Conference, while going 19-3 in the regular season. They had a 14-game win streak, the longest in school history, and won the District IV championship for only the second time in school history. In addition to the championship this year, the girls placed third in 2010.

Demko also participates in track for coach Angela Farronato, running the 400 meter and 1600 meter relay. She was part of the team that placed sixth in the Coach's Invitational in 2009. Brigid has been the Ed Romance Chapter Athlete of the Month for September.

As a student, Demko is currently ranked third in her class while serving as class president during her junior and senior years. She is the secretary of the National Honor Society and was recently named a member of the 1300 Club and Rotary Student of the Month for October. She is editor of the Tornado Times, as well as WKMC's MCA Live.

Demko has also appeared in Anything Goes, West Side Story and Into the Woods, and will be a part of the stage crew for this year's Kiss Me Kate.

She is a member of the chorus and is an altar server at Holy Angels Church. She has also been chosen to represent Mount Carmel Area at the annual Laurel Festival in Wellsboro as the MCA Laurel Queen.

Demko is planning to attend either Syracuse University or the University of Maryland to study broadcast journalism. She is the daughter of Peggy and Tom Demko, Kulpmont.

How much of a difference does three feet make?

Those involved with softball in the area will find out soon enough.

The PIAA's decision to move the pitching rubber back 36 inches more from the plate is the first major change in softball since the "flex" player was instituted in the 2003 season.

Like that rule change, lengthening the distance between the rubber and the plate was done with offense in mind.

"It's going to be a hitter's game," Shamokin Area head coach Christi Cryder said.

Of the 124 games the area's six teams competed in last year, 48 were shutouts one way or the other,

a number that's unlikely to be duplicated this season.

"I think it's great," Southern Columbia head coach Al Cihocki said about the change.

The Tigers' coach expects speed to be an even more important attribute for offenses.

"Pitchers that are quick won't have a problem bringing the ball," Cihocki said. "It hasn't affected our pitchers one iota.

"With speed, I think we'll see a lot more bunts. I know we're looking to bunt and run because the pitcher has to cover three more feet."

With more runners on base, the area's big boppers will only see their numbers get bigger.

Southern Columbia's Mallory Tomaschik, last year's News-Item Player of the Year as a freshman, had 16 extra-base hits.

In fact all 11 all-area players return this year, and with an extra half second to locate the ball it can only be surmised what kind of damage they'll do this year.

At least six of those players either pitched last year, or are expected to see time in the circle this season.

Mount Carmel head coach Jake Wojcik agrees that the offense will be the biggest beneficiary from the change. However, there is a chance pitchers will see some benefit from the extra distance.

"Going out to 43 feet, if a girl has late movement on the ball it's going to be beneficial," Wojcik said.

"Although, they won't be able to rely on strikeouts all the time."

Since more balls are expected to put into play, defense will be at a premium even more than in the past.

Heartland Conference Division I

Shamokin Area returns six starters to a team that went 5-15 last year, but won three games in the division.

Steph Pancher got every decision for the Indians and will need more offense behind her if Shamokin hopes to make the playoffs.

Angie Bainbridge is a four-year starter at shortstop and really grew into a team leader last year, but will need to be more solid than ever on defense.

Jersey Shore and Milton are the only truly dominant teams, while every other team is very beatable.

Division II

Mount Carmel has a returning pitcher, Ashley Koschoff, and the majority of its infield returning.

Kayla Shamus takes over at third base for Valerie Bendas, who graduated, while Jocelyn Darrup and Sami Spieller are solid up the middle.

The Tornadoes started 0-6 last year and can't afford such an opening drought this year with teams like Loyalsock, Mifflinburg and South Williamsport on the back end of the schedule.

Division III

After winning 43 games in three years, Emily Yoder is getting a bit of a break.

Tomaschik takes over in the circle as the regular starter, after relieiving Yoder in the Tigers' District 4 playoff loss to Northeast Bradford last year. Yoder will be the closer and get the occasional start for the Tigers.

When she's not pitching, Yoder will be at third base, replacing an injured Kayla Lavella, and all-area player Mackenzie Silver must adjust to a new position at first base.

Meanwhile, the Tigers also had to find a starting catcher after Taylor Domasky moved following the field hockey season.

Seem complicated? Here's the simple version - Tomaschik to pitcher, Yoder to third and Domasky to Ohio.

Montgomery went to the state finals last year, but pitcher Casey Drick, who shut out Southern twice, graduated. That leaves the division up for grabs.

Schuylkill League Division I

With Alyssa Smith and Cassie Lapotsky taking turns in the circle, the Spartans stand a chance in every game.

North Schuylkill lost just four games a year ago and returns eight starters.

Two of the Spartans' losses were by a total of three runs to Pottsville.

Courtney McGrath was second on the team in hitting as a freshman with a .418 average and 17 RBIs, and returns, along with Madison Newhouser, who had eight extra-base hits, at shortstop.

Pine Grove is the defending champ, and is the favorite until another team steps up.

Division II

Lourdes is young, talented and in a murders row of a division with Minersville, Tri-Valley and Williams Valley.

CharLee Rosini was an all-area selection last year for her work at the plate and in the circle. She pitched the Raiders to wins in six games, and hit .370 with two home runs.

Rosini isn't alone, though. Nikki Komara, Kortni Koshinskie, Kara Kuehner, Emily Long and Ania Rawa all lettered as freshmen and will be joined by five more rookies this year.

The Battlin' Miners won the division title last year, and beat Lourdes by a combined 26 runs. They're the odds-on favorite to repeat.

Tri-Valley League

Line Mountain returns seven starters to a team that went 10-10 and qualified for the postseason for the first time in more than a decade.

While the Eagles' bench is thin this year, their overall experience will mean a lot in close games.

Maggie Fessler did the majority of the work on the rubber last year, but the Eagles also have Jenna Wheary available.

Alyssa Bradigan hit .340 as a sophomore last year, and should have plenty of RBI opportunities in front of her this year.

Upper Dauphin went undefeated in the league last year, and is the odds-on favorite to continue its dominance.

Team Capsules

Line Mountain

Coach: Jordan Taraschuk

Record: 10-11

Players: Seniors - Victoria Candelora (OF), Maggie Fessler (P/1B), Bridget Laudenslager (OF), Tina Witmer (LF), Courtney Woodward (2B). Juniors - Alyssa Bradigan (3B), Keana Lesher (OF), Kasey Long (CF), Michelle Menko (C), Alexxis Stiely (INF), Taylor Reed (OF), Jenna Wheary (P/1B), Emily Wingert (C/RF). Sophomore - Savannah Copson (SS).

Outlook: Seven starters return to a 10-10 team. Unlike past years, the Eagles had to contend with a basketball season that went deep into spring practice. While the returners are plentiful, the Eagles' bench is thinner than past years. Tough non-league games with North Schuylkill and Danville could be the difference between a return trip to the playoffs or not.

Lourdes

Coach: Scott Long

Record: 6-14

Players: Senior - Shannon Kenney (OF). Sophomores - Nikki Komara (C), Kortni Koshinskie (1B), Kara Kuehner (OF), Emily Long (SS), Ania Rawa (OF), CharLee Rosini (P), Sarah Getchey (INF). Freshmen - Peyton Klembara (P/INF), Gabrielle Long (INF), Angelique Pennypacker (1B), Jordan Persing (INF), Anna Raybuck (3B).

Outlook: The Red Raiders are young, but talented. Six sophomores return to a team that won six games and learned some tough lessons last year. Five freshmen and two more first-year players will need to fill out the lineup productively if the Raiders expect to make the playoffs for the first time in quite a while.

Mount Carmel

Coach: Jake Wojcik

Record: 3-17

Players: Seniors - Sami Spieller (2B), Nicole Horsefield (LF), Ashley Koschoff (P), Tiana Kobilis (OF). Juniors - Tori Chapman (C), Jocelyn Darrup (SS), Danielle Avellino (OF), Maura Frasch (1B), Kelsey Resendes (CF), Kayla Shamus (3B), Sam Yuschock (INF), Kelly Flynn (P). Sophomores - Nicole Purcell (OF), Lexi Danilowicz (INF), Caity Avellino (C), Jenna Weikel (P), Jamie Florentini (SS), Stacia Carpenter (OF), Sam Miscavage (OF), Katie Milo (OF).

Outlook: Another team with a plethora of returning starters. Ashley Koschoff is back to pitch for the Tornadoes, and with an infield mainly intact she should have plenty of support. The Tornadoes will need to hit better than last year when they had just eight extra-base hits as a team.

North Schuylkill

Coach: Dominick Grasso

Record: 17-4

Players: Juniors - Alyssa Smith (P/1B), Madison Newhouser (SS), Robyn Orth (C), Cassie Lapotsky (P/1B), Dana Achenbach (OF), Gabrielle Hopkins (OF), Kayla Derr (OF). Sophomores - Courtney McGrath (OF), Brooke Ennis (INF), Kayla Bolinsky (2B), Tara Pennypacker (INF), Kyrsten Runkle (P), Alyson Smith (P), Dominique Grasso (C). Freshmen - Nadya Spotts (OF), Liz Peleschak (OF), Brianna Schlauch (OF), Zierra Treshock (OF), Ashley Schultz (1B).

Outlook: The future is now for the Spartans. They return seven starters, including a pair of ace pitchers in Alyssa Smith and Cassie Lapotsky. And they don't have a senior on the roster. Will need to produce more at the plate against top pitching to be serious factor in Division I and District 11 Class AA races.

Shamokin

Coach: Christi Cryder

Record: 5-15

Players: Seniors - Angela Bainbridge (SS), Chesney Haupt (OF), Christina Simpson (OF). Juniors - Peyton Cooper (OF), Erin Duganitz (OF), Steph Pancher (P), Celine Templar (2B). Sophomores - Sarah Britton (OF), Cailin Wilson (OF). Freshmen - Catherine Augustitus (C/1B), Elizabeth Bednar (OF), Brianna Bonshock (2B), Olivia Bonshock (1B/3B), Tabitha Demsko (OF), Kelsey Forbes (OF), Jennifer Hornberger (3B/OF), Catelin Pancher (OF), Lea Richardson (C), Melissa Smallets (OF), Helena Supsic (1B/P), Natalie Wolfe (OF).

Outlook: The Indians are very young, but have a larger roster than they've been afforded the past few years. Twenty-one players are on the roster, with 12 freshmen. How much time they'll see and how the Indians will fare is dependent on how the seven upperclassmen play, among them shortstop Angela Bainbridge and pitcher Steph Pancher.

Southern Columbia

Coach: Al Cihocki

Record: 15-7

Players: Seniors - JoEllen Blass (OF), Elise Krankoski (OF), Mackenzie Silver (1B), Emily Yoder (P/3B). Juniors - Mary McGinley (C), Alicia Slagle (OF). Sophomores - Bethany Adamski (OF), Kirsten Blass (SS), Megan Chaundy (1B), Morgan Fullmer (OF), Mandy Jurgill (OF), Kim Reigle (OF), Mallory Tomaschik (P/3B), Erin Troup (C/OF). Freshmen - Destiny Duncan (OF), Sarah Harder (SS), Jensen Kremser (2B), McKenna Lupold (2B), Angela Vought (3B/OF), Erin Yoder (OF).

Outlook: Throw out your lineup card from last year if you're a Tigers' fan. Southern Columbia has retooled its infield and pitcher spot, and the results have been positive so far. The Tigers' biggest asset is its overall speed, and they expect to use that to win games. Among those new to the starting lineup are Mary McGinley (catcher), Elise Krankoski (center field) and Erin Yoder (right field).