This site is about the sports doings -- mainly football -- of the high schools in Venango County, Pa. Contact:
Measuring up to the greats...
Sophomore John Lander was the first Oiler to swim the 100 fly in under 55 seconds since state runnerup Wes Gaylor in 1986. Swimming went as scheduled Thursday, but basketball was postponed. (Photo by Christy Fackler)
Oilers Check Warren, Knights survive Corry, Orioles trounce 'wood
Oil City fell behind visiting Warren by 12 after the opening quarter, but rallied for a 77-62 win Tuesday to take over sole possession of first place in Region 5.
The Oilers are 5-0 in the region, a game up over Franklin, which turned back Corry, 57-54, on Nate Fezzell's three-point play with 3.2 seconds left. The 4-1 Knights will return to The Castle Friday to play Oil City.
The 5-5 Dragons now linger behind at 3-1 in the region.
Meanwhile, Rocky Grove took command of Region 2 by walloping third-place Maplewood, 96-43. It was the Orioles' highest scoring game in at least -- at least -- 20 years. They approached 96 points twice in the oughts, once spanking East Forest, 95-49, in 2006.
It seemed as if Warren was hitting everything it threw toward the hoop in the opening quarter, but Oil City shrugged it all off and took the lead by the next quarter.
However, a semi-prayer that beat the buzzer gave the Dragons a four-point cushion at halftime.
No matter.
Oil City (9-4 overall) took command after intermission with some crisp tic-tac-doe passing for easy baskets.
Nevin Stinson again led the way, this time with 28 as he moved past GOAT Dutch Burch on the Oilers' all-time scoring list with 758 points. They also received 15 from Michael Fink and 11 from Steven Heise, but everyone was involved.
Ian Higley was the big point-getter for Franklin, netting 16 as the Knights crept to 7-6 on the season.
Franklin also received 12 from Jameson Wofford and 10 from Fezzell. Nolan Parry intercepted a Corry pass on the throw-in after the go-ahead bucket by Fezzell.
A season-high 30 points by Noah Baughman triggered the Grove, which nailed a dozen threes in its rout of Maplewood. Landen Carter added 20 as the Orioles moved to 9-4 overall.
They are now Nos. 5 and 6 on the Grove's all-time scoring list. Their next immediate targets are Troy Winslow (1,208) and Tyler Davis (1,280), but no doubt the final resting place for both will be behind Dylan Gravatt, Venango County's all-time leading scorer with 1,904 points.
In the lone girls game, Cranberry smothered hapless Clarion, 63-6. Darien Wenner scored 19, Elena Ishman 12 and Jadyn Shumaker 10.
Wednesday's results
The Cranberry boys went down to defeat -- only their second of the season -- when they traveled to Clarion Wednesday. The Bobcats won, 50-38, limiting Cole Findlay to six points in the process. That left him nine points shy of 1,000. Blake Marchinke kept the Berries (12-2) in the game with 14.
Rocky Grove girls came away with a 41-30 victory at Iroquois. Lydia Kennedy scored 17 for the 4-7 Orioles.
Cochranton topped Franklin, 47-24, in wrestling. All of the Knights' wins were by forfeit. Only seven matches were actually wrestled.
Ian Higley (Richard Sayer photo)
How far can Payton Liederbach reach on Oil City's all-time scoring list? (Photo by Christy Fackler)
Liederbach moves past Gault on all-time
scoring list
Payton Liederbach did pass Jodi Gault on Oil City's all-time girls scoring list Monday, cording another 22 points in a 47-44 decision over Titusville. Liederbach now has 1,162 points, compared to 1,149 for the legendary Gault, and now ranks third or fourth of the list -- depending on how you want to count Joan Smith.
Tracy Whittling (1,346) and Jackie Craft (1,217) from the crack 1997 team are 1-2. Smith finished her career in 1982 with 1,202 points, but only 907 of them came at Oil City, where she was a student her junior and senior years. She played at VC her first two years.
This year's Lady Oilers have nine regular season games remaining, and with an 8-5 record look like they have a shot at the playoffs, which means at least one more game. Oil City is 2-0 in Region 5, while Franklin sits at 1-0 in the five-team league.
The Lady Knights took on Warren Monday and beat the Lady Dragons behind Jadyn Blum's 17 points and Makenzi Emick's 11 rebounds. Franklin, which drilled six three-pointers, is 9-4 overall.
While the Rocky Grove girls bowed to Commodore Perry, the Cranberry boys turned back Johnsonburg, 57-49, behind Blake Marchinke's 21 points.
Franklin girls still unbeaten
Chloe Switzer, Sammi Smith and Evelyn Highfield were four-event winners as the Franklin girls stayed unbeaten with a 98-69 victory Thursday over Grove City. The boys had two four-event winners in Jordan Stumpf and Jacksen Clark, but lost to the Eagles, 103-66. The Oil City girls posted their first win of the season, thumping Slippery Rock, 112-52, as Ayla Hall won four events. The aforementioned John Lander led the boys to a 77-49 victory.