By Steve Svetovich
The state championship pursuit ended for Holy Cross along with one of the most successful coaching careers in Lackawanna League history.
Holy Cross legendary boys basketball coach Al Callejas informed his team he is retiring after the Crusaders fell to Lancaster Mennonite, 51-40, in the PIAA Class 2A semifinal, Tuesday, March 21, at Martz Hall, Pottsville.
Camden Hurst scored 10 points in the first quarter for Lancaster Mennonite who did not trail in the game. He finished with 25 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots while making all three of his 3- point attempts as part of an 8-for-12 shooting performance.
Hayden Hosie and Matt Lyons led Holy Cross with 10 points each.
Coach Callejas was diagnosed with lung cancer last season. He won 564 games in 31 years as the only boys basketball coach at Holy Cross and the last coach at its predecessor, Bishop O’Hara.
Holy Cross was formed in 2007 by the merger of Bishop O’Hara in Dunmore and Bishop Hannan in Scranton. Callejas led the Crusaders into the state tournament 15 times, only missing when they could not compete in the 2021 season due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Callejas continued to show up at practice and coach the team throughout his entire cancer diagnosis. His players rallied around him.
“Coach Callejas is a great person who leads by example,” said senior Hayden Hosie. “His success as a coach speaks for itself. I have the utmost respect for him as a person and coach. The assistant coaches at Holy Cross are amazing, but I know coach Callejas’ absence will be felt in the program.”
Matt Lyons, a 6-4 sophomore, had a similar sentiment. “Coach Callejas meant everything to the team,” he said. “He has been a leader on and off the court for the past 31 years. Coach Callejas meant a lot to me in the way he never gave up on us when he had his own personal battle. Faced with illness, he was still at every single practice.”
Holy Cross senior Gabe Gonzales, the team’s leading scorer with an average of over 13 points per game, also praised coach Callejas. “He was a great role model and taught lessons that will impact my life forever. The lessons coach Callejas taught on the court all translate to life. His presence was bigger than basketball. I could not ask for a better coach and mentor.”
Holy Cross defeated Dock Mennonite, 64-57, in the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinal Saturday, March 18, at East Stroudsburg South High School.
Hosie led the Crusaders with 20 points and four assists in the quarterfinal win. Lyons scored 15 points. Gonzales and Logan Tierney added 10 points each.
Dock Mennonite had a 38-31 lead after starting the third quarter on a 13-1 run. The Crusaders then took the lead and then some by scoring 15 straight points. Hosie fueled the attack with five straight points of his own. Lyons came off the bench and drilled a 3-pointer to give the Crussders a 39-38 lead. Lyons added four rebounds in the contest. Gonzales had eight rebounds.
Holy Cross senior guard Nick Calciano provided a defensive spark and executed fast breaks for Holy Cross in the fourth quarter. He finished with four assists, three rebounds and two points that pushed the lead to 56-46 with 1:41 left in the game.
Tierney, Gonzales and Lyons played a tough inside game with 24 total rebounds, including 12 offensive boards in the first half that kept offensive possessions alive and kept Dock Mennonite from putting together scoring runs. Tierney had a game high 13 rebounds.
Holy Cross defeated Muncy., 66-38. Wednesday, March 15, to get to the state quarterfinal. Gonzales led the way with 14 points. Tierney and Lyons added 12 points each.
The Crusaders beat Minersville, 47-32, Saturday, March 11, in the prior state playoff contest. Gonzales led with 13 points. Hosie added 11 points.
Holy Cross won its 10th district title under Callejas with a 61-26 rout over Blue Ridge, Saturday, March 4, at Mohegan Sun Arena. Hosie finished with a game high 17 points in the District 2 Class 2A title game. Lyons, who made a huge impact on the team as the season progressed, scored 14 points. Tierney added 12 in the district title win.
Coach Callejas, 67, was honored by the school during a ceremony in the gymnasium for his accomplishments this past February. He is a member of the Northeastern Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.