This site is about the sports doings -- mainly football -- of the high schools in Venango County, Pa. Contact:
State champ!
Berry Proud!
Many, Many Medals this fortnight for CRANBERRY
Swimming, wrestling, BOYS BASKETBALL...
Dalton Wenner shows Kiovanny Hamlin of Allentown Dieruff the lights. (Cranberry wrestling photo.)
Cranberry's Dalton Wenner defeated Aiden Herndon of Cedar Cliff, 3-1, Saturday to win the PIAA 3A state wrestling title at 139 pounds.
Wenner won on a reversal with 16 seconds left in OT to become the third state mat champion in Cranberry history. The two wrestlers traded escapes in regulation.
Ray Frantz won back-to-back titles in 1973 and 1974 at 98 and 105 pounds and Jack Rice captured the 2A 135-pound crown in 1996.
Wenner, a four-time state place-winner -- the only one in Venango County history -- topped Reef Dillard of Bethlehem Catholic, 6-3, in the semifinals Friday night while Herndon set up another rematch with Wenner by sending Patrick Woloshyn of Cedar Cliff to consolations, 4-1.
And then Wenner, who lost to Herndon in three previous meetings, turned the tables Saturday. The triumph over Herndon, a junior, was his 46th of the season and gave him a 161-25 record for his career and, by far, his best finish ever in the state tourney. He previously took a pair of sevenths as a freshman and junior and a sixth as a sophomore.
Wenner withstood some stalling calls to beat Dillard in the semis. He was warned or called for stalling three times, but made two takedowns stand up for his victory. Dillard was awarded two stalling points.
Herndon was coming off a 4-0 decision over Collier Hartman of Canon-Mac in the quarterfinals after pinning his opponent in the round of 32, where Wenner received a bye.
One of Wenner's losses to Herndon this season was by injury default. Scores of the other matches were 4-3 and 4-2, so they were close -- as with the state tournament outcome. Two of the meetings came in the Powerade Dec. 29-30 at Canon-Mac. Wenner's other loss to Herndon was in the Midwinter Mayhem at IUP on Jan. 10.
Earlier Friday, in the quarterfinals, Wenner scored a major decision -- his second of the tourney -- 14-1, over Isaiah Jackson of Gettysburg. Dillard upset Southeast region champion Blake Boyer in the quarters, avenging a 4-0 lost to Boyer earlier this season.
Herndon, the South Central regional champ, had three easy victories over Jackson this season. And he earlier took out Hartman who Wenner has beaten twice in three tries.
Wenner measured Kiovanny Hamlin of Allentown Dieruff, 11-1, on Thursday for his first major. Other place-winners at 139: 3. Patrick Woloshyn, Council Rock South, 4. Collier Hartman, Canon-Mac, 5. Reef Dillard, Beth Catholic, 6. Blake Boyer, Kennett; 7. Trey Wagner, Northampton, 8. Isaiah Jackson, Gettysburg.
​Wenner, a Clarion recruit, is a four-time district champion and a three-time regional winner with one second-place finish.
The last Venango County wrestler to win a state title was Franklin's Dakota Geer, a three-time place-winner who won a 182-pound championship in 2015.​
Dalton Wenner won the West AAA regional title last weekend and was named Outstanding Wrestler in the District 8-9 3A tournament two weeks ago. He brought home a gold medal from the state tournament this weekend. He's pictured here with dad and coach Dustin Wenner and uncle Darren, both state place-winners for Cranberry in the 1990s. Aiden Thompson (133), an Oil City student, joined Wenner as a district champion for the Berries this year.
state place-winners
from Venango County
District 8/9 3A O.W., RegionAL champ, 4-time
state place-winner
107 -- Jacob Carr, Sun Valley
114 -- Brayden Wenrich, Northampton
121 -- Landen Sidun, Norwin
127 -- Kavin Muyleart, Cedar Cliff
133 -- Keanu Dillard, Bethlehem Catholic
139 -- Dalton Wenner, Cranberry
145 -- Val Vielma, Connellsville
152 -- Gabriel Ballard, Northampton
160 -- Gavin Ciampoli, Altoona
172 -- McKaden Speece, Wilson (West Lawn)
189 -- Mario Hutcherson, Kiski Area
215 -- Elijah Brown, Belle Vernon
285 -- Dean Bechtold, Owen J. Roberts
District 10 champs
Swimming photos by Christy Fackler (Lander) and Kelly Malek (Wilson)
Cranberry students John Lander and Natalie Wilson, who swim for Oil City in the co-op between the two schools, won District 10 titles in the 50 and 100 freestyles.
​
Cranberry boys repeat as D-9 3A champs
A Connor/Kelly Malek in focus photo
End of The Road
The Cranberry boys were the last Venango County team eliminated from the basketball playoffs. The Berries traveled to Aliquippa on Saturday and were blown away by the WPIAL champs, 87-52.
​
Cole Findlay pull-up jumper in the paint/JB Graphics
Oblong ball, round ball, must make no difference to Qa'Lil Goode. The 6-2 senior scored 20 points to lead Aliquippa to an 87-52 romp over Cranberry Saturday in the first round of 3A interdistricts.
Goode was one of three players in double figures for the the WPIAL champs who led 20-8 at the quarter, 48-26 at the half and 64-39 heading into the fourth.
All 10 players who suited up for the Quips scored with Anthony Ingram contributing 18 points and Jalen Harvey adding 10.
It was Goode who made a stunning and possibly game-changing 100-yard pick 6 just before halftime of a playoff game last fall against Oil City, which features quarterback Cole Findlay and his favorite target, wide receiver Landon Baker and other Cranberry players.
And there he was again Saturday, creating havoc on the Berries, whose starting lineup includes Findlay and Baker.
Oh, well. The Berries finished with a 22-4 record -- one of their best ever-- and a second straight District 9 3A title.
Promising sophomore Shia Sanchez was top scorer for Cranberry with 13 points. Baker backed him with 11.
Cranberry coach Ed McIntyre offered this comment afterward, "Aliquippa is a fantastic basketball team. I am really proud of our players and coaches. With the underclassmen, the Cranberry basketball program is in great hands. The seniors will be terribly missed but I know they all have amazing futures ahead. Very proud of all of them."
Findlay finished his career with 1,159 points, good for No. 3 on the Berries' all-time list behind Ryan Willison (2013) and the late big Bob Foggan (1957). Blake Marchinke is a junior, so he'll head the returnees. He has an unofficial 912 points, so get the balloons and posters ordered.
Meanwhile, Goode will take his talents to Slippery Rock where he can haunt the PSAC in football.
​
Things did not go well for the Cranberry girls, either, who on Friday were making their first appearance in the PIAA tourney since 2017. They lost to Greensburg Central Catholic, a seasoned program, 66-14.
The Berries trailed 21-4 at the quarter and 42-9 at intermission and then failed to make a field goal in the third quarter as they closed the season with a 15-11 record.
Darien Wenner was the only Berry to score anything of note. She tallied nine points,
Richmond recruit Erica Gribble scored 27 for the Centurians, who survived and advanced with a 20-7 mark.
GCC's next opponent is District 10 champion Northwestern, starring Makalya Presser-Palmer, an Arizona recruit. She's District 10's all-time leading scorer with well over 2,400 points -- yes, more than Lakeview's Sheena Aden, Cranberry's Susan Blauser and Carrie Mason, Franklin's Hillary Hager and Slippery Rock's Jence Rhoads (daughter of Oil City's Melinda Hale) -- and is ranked by ESPN as the No. 65 player in the country.
​
Interdistricts
FRIDAY
BOYS
Cathedral Prep 79, Central Valley 49
North Catholic 64, Sharon 52
Hickory 47, Quaker Valley 43
Obama Academy 55, Warren 50
Knoch 46, Girard 30
Penn Hills 58, Meadville 45
GIRLS
Greensburg CC 66, Cranberry 14
Karns City 37, Seton LaSalle 24
Keystone 50, Aliquippa 43
Northwestern 35, Quaker Valley 22
Beaver Falls 54, Seneca 52
Wilmington 68, Ft. Cherry 34
Kennedy Catholic 75, Rochester 35
Bishop McCort 50, Mercer 27
Penns Manor 49, Union City 34
SATURDAY
BOYS
Aliquippa 87, Cranberry 52
Seton LaSalle 67, Eisenhower 65
Mercyhurst 66, Winchester Thurston 45
Clairton 55, Cochranton 52
Sewickley Academy 65, Saegertown 25
Clarion 46, Muncy 42
Port Allegany 67, Bishop McCort 64
Clarion 46, Muncy 42
Port Allegany 67, Bishop McCort 64
GIRLS
Farrell 57, Sewickley Academy 45
Oakland Catholic 64, Corry 26
Blackhawk 45, Fairview 34
Harbor Creek 42, South Park 28
C-L 58, St. Joe 37
Slippery Rock 54, Elizabeth-Forward 46
Indiana 46, Cathedral Prep 34
Click on title
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.
Franklin graduates Easton Fulmer and Camdon Bashor finished their senior seasons of college basketball. St. Vincent (Bashor) was 21-7 and Chatham (Fulmer) was 18-8 but neither team made the NCAA Division III playoffs. Chatham played to a share of the PAC regular season title. Bashor received an honorable mention on the Presidents Athletic Conference all-stars. Photos from their school web sites. Final stats:
NEXT UP...swimming
Franklin's Erdley, stumpf join Lander, Wilson in D-10 2A winners' circle
Franklin's Jordan Stumpf qualified for states in two open events -- as did Dani Erdley -- and Evelynn Highfeld and Jacksen Clark made the cut in the breaststroke.
Franklin relays that advanced were the girls medley (Erdley, Highfield, Sammi Smith and Ellie Coyer) and the 200 free (Smith, Coyer, Erdley and Chloe Switzer) FHS photos/
Christy Fackler Madyson Kissell of Oil City was runnerup in the 500 and a third alternate for the state meet. (Photo by Kelly Malek)
John Lander (Photos by Erie Times News)
Franklin's Dani Erdley and Jordan Stumpf won District 10 2A titles Saturday, joining Oil City's John Lander and Natalie Wilson in the winners' circle at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
Erdley claimed the backstroke in 54.32 and Stumpf the 500. He upset Sharon's Nate Dorsch in a school record 4:43.08, dropping 20 seconds from his seed time.
Lander, who won the 50 free on Friday, added the 100 free title Saturday. Wilson won the para 50 and 100.
Lander, a sophomore, was clocked in 21.71 in the 50, and 46.72 in the 100, breaking program records: previously held by Adam Clifford (1998) and Wes Gaylor (1986).
Lander was dominant among his peers when he was swimming for the Oil City YMCA as a student at St. Stephen. But he underwent shoulder surgery and missed his freshman year at Oil City.
"I knew I was going to be good, but this was much better than I thought," he told the Erie Times News.
Wilson won the 50 free para event in 38.73.
Franklin freshman Evelynn Highfield (breaststroke) and Oil City's Madyson Kissell (500) were runnersup. Kissell is a third alternate for the state meet, which will be held Mar. 11-14 at Bucknell.
Stumpf (200) and Erdley (100) qualified for states in those events and freshman Evelynn Highfield and Jacksen Clark made the grade in the breaststroke.
Franklin girls also received the trophy for their region title.
​
Football
Franklin finds
its man
Austin Ion was introduced as the new Franklin football coach at a school board work session on Jan. 19. He officially became Franklin's 26th paid coach at the board's Jan. 26 meeting.
Ion succeeds Matt Turk, a former Knight all-star, who resigned after six years at the helm.
Ion is a 2017 Keystone High School graduate who played football, basketball and baseball for the Panthers.
He played wide receiver at Grove City College, where he majored in accounting.
He has coached at Keystone for eight years and most recently served as jayvee coach under coach Todd Smith.
The commiittee to select a new coach at Franklin consisted of athletic director Becky Barnes, high school co-principal Tom Holoman, Central Elementary principal Joe Keenan and assistant AD Chris Romanowski.
Ion was the choice among "nine good applicants," according to Barnes.​