Local Sports

In the coming weeks the PIAA Class A runner-up trophy will find its way to the trophy case at Greenwood High School.

ELYSBURG — If you ask Neil Mertz if he thinks this will be his final year of attending the state trap shoot, the retired Point Township gun shop owner will probably say, “This will be my last.”

UNIVERSITY PARK — Blaise Zeiders walked onto the field at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park and couldn't help but take it all in before the beginning of Friday's PIAA Class 4A championship game against Beaver.

UNIVERSITY PARK — Greenwood coach Mark Sherman has said a hundred times during the playoffs that baseball is a funny game.

UNIVERSITY PARK — Bryce Dalpiaz sat alone at the end of Greenwood’s dugout bench, staring at the state baseball trophy in his lap as though the silver adornments might somehow turn gold.

NEWPORT — Aaron Bollinger watched as the final out was made at first base and threw his hands in the air as he was hugged by catcher Bryce Dalpiaz.

ALMEDIA — Blaise Zeiders does a variety of things for the Selinsgrove baseball team.

ALMEDIA — Josh Nylund was face down in the infield dirt twice in a matter of minutes Tuesday — once as a result of desire, once by design — to help propel Selinsgrove to the Class 4A state final.

Selinsgrove’s two-week run to today’s state semifinal baseball game has been dotted with more adversity than one might guess.

One look at Greenwood’s run through the postseason and it would be easy to think the Wildcats’ success has been due to their pitching.

ALMEDIA — Greenwood coach Mark Sherman was not surprised the home plate umpire did not call time when Reilly Taylor asked for it.

ALMEDIA — With the offensive numbers Pine Grove put up this season, it would be reasonable to assume an eight-run outburst came with plenty of extra-base hits or homers in Thursday’s PIAA Class 3A softball quarterfinals at Central Columbia High School.

ANNVILLE — When they revisit Thursday’s state quarterfinal — whether in one week, one month or five years from now — Mifflinburg’s players, coaches and even the fans will likely still be shaking their heads.

WILLIAMSPORT — Nate Schon was shocked to see Selinsgrove first base coach Stu Zeiders spinning his index finger, urging the Seals sophomore to leg out a double on his third-inning flare to right field.

CATAWISSA — Julian Fleming didn’t necessarily make the easy decision, but he made the one he thought was right for him.

TURBOTVILLE — Warrior Run coach Garth Watson could only shake his head ruefully as he met with the media before the Defenders received their silver medals after the District 4 Class 3A championship game at the Moser Complex.

WILLIAMSPORT — Aspen Walker and Kya Matter both shook their heads.

WILLIAMSPORT — Margin of error is huge for Mifflinburg pitcher Vanessa Martin.

SELINSGROVE — Lewisburg came into Tuesday’s game with a plan.

The way Mifflinburg’s season ended in 2018 left a bad taste in the Wildcats’ mouth.

LEWISBURG — Lauren Pavlechko remembers her first day of lacrosse practice four years ago.

LEWISBURG — John Vaji was happy a few months ago.

SHIPPENSBURG — Mallory Kauffman knew as she approached her final throw of the shot put the gold medal was hers.

SHIPPENSBURG — Just more than a month ago, Brant Long struggled every time he began working out during a training session, competed in a dual meet or traveled with his Milton teammates to a weekend invitational.

ALMEDIA — The last time Selinsgrove played at Bowman Field, Logan Hile watched a livestream of the Seals winning the 2016 district championship from a hospital bed while fighting a life-threatening virus.

ALMEDIA — Trey Miller's game plan for Saturday's district semifinal was to keep Mifflinburg's hitters off balance and not let the count dictate the pitches he threw.

SHIPPENSBURG — Disappointed by the way things came to a close in the long jump competition, Julian Fleming responded by doing what he typically does.

WILLIAMSPORT — Ethan Klees was satisfied with how his District 4 Class 3A meet turned out Saturday.

KULPMONT — Mount Carmel’s baseball players couldn’t have been more confident than while belting out Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker” among other songs in their dugout prior to Wednesday’s district playoff game.

DANVILLE — In late April, the Shamokin Indians sat one game under .500, and looked nothing like last year’s team that made it to the District 4 Class 4A final.

DANVILLE — Sammy Held tore off her mask and just smiled as a wave of green and white washed over her.

DANVILLE — Collin Starr is just a freshman, but all season long he had a knack of being in the right place at the right time.

Lewisburg’s Elyse Gower and Danville’s Hannah Kipple have more in common than they realize.

It would be difficult to choose which sports season of Blaise Zeiders' senior year was his best.

In a boys lacrosse season filled with twists and turns, one thing that didn’t veer from the norm was the district championship matchup.

LEWISBURG — Maisha Kelly urged those in attendance Monday night at the Scholar-Athlete of the Year banquet to find their “why” and remember to “pause.”

WILLIAMSPORT — A short time before running his first race in the District 4 Class 3A track and field championships, Marshall Buggy joked about his times trending down.