Tag Archives: athletics

Bucks Begin Season Without Henzes

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dhs football

Photo Credit: Rich Banick Photography

By Steve Svetovich

Dunmore High School began this season with Jack Henzes sidelined with a heart ailment, but is moving forward with hopes of having the legendary coach back.

Kevin McHale, Dunmore’s defensive coordinator, is the team’s interim head coach during Henzes’ absence.

Dunmore began this season with a 31-0 loss to Scranton Prep on Friday, August 24, but bounced back quickly with a 33-0 win over Mid Valley on Friday, August 31.

Charles Valvano recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and just 14 seconds later quarterback Steve Borgia connected with Greg McDade for a 25-yard touchdown pass. The extra point kick attempt was blocked.

Borgia had 75 yards passing for two touchdowns and 59 yards rushing for a touchdown in the win. Sophomore Peyton Badyrka kicked the extra point.

scheduleBorgia scored on a one-yard plunge with 8:03 left in the second quarter.

A 31-yard scramble by Borgia set up a four-yard touchdown pass to Christian Buckley to cap a 25-second drive right before the half.

Badyrka booted the extra point and Dunmore had a commanding 20-0 lead at the half.

After running back Billy Donvito left the game with a shoulder injury, Ralph Tolley stepped in and broke numerous tackles for a 31-yard touchdown run to open the second half. Badyrka hit on the extra point kick with 9:56 left in the third quarter.

The Dunmore offensive line opened up a hole for Kyle Harrity who rambled into the end zone on a 16-yard touchdown run to seal the win with 4:58 left in the contest. The extra point kick attempt failed.

The tight Dunmore defense held the Spartans to eight rushing yards and only four first downs.

Buckley rushed for 77 yards on nine carries.

“The effort was there the first game,” said coach McHale, “but there was no result. We corrected our mistakes and came back strong against Mid Valley. We will continue to get better each day.”

Henzes, when he comes back, will be in his 52nd year of coaching. He has 435 career wins, just 20 behind all-time state leader George Curry. Curry coached mostly at Berwick, but also Lake Lehman.

dhs coaches

Dunmore High School coaches for the 2018 season include, from left: Assistant Coach Mike DeSando, Assistant Coach Jeff Mills, Assistant Coach Kevin McHale and Assistant Coach Mike Barrett. (Photo Credit: Rich Banick Photography)

Besides coach McHale, other assistants at Dunmore are Jeff Mills, Michael DeSando, Mike Barrett, Miller Holmes, Justin Mitchell and Michael Perry.

Key players on Dunmore this season include senior tight end-middle linebacker George Mesko, senior defensive end-fullback Kyle Harrity, senior defensive end-tight end Tyler Overheit, senior fullback-linebacker Billy Donvito, senior wide receiver-cornerback Greg McDade,senior offensive and defensive lineman Jake Sawka, junior quarterback-punter Steve Borgia, sophomore running back-defensive back Christian Buckley, junior wide receiver-defensive back Charles Valvano, senior offensive and defensive lineman Louis LaCapra, senior lineman Anthony Santarsiero, senior lineman Anthony Kashner and sophomore kicker Peyton Badyrka.

“Our goal here is to win the league title, district title and go as far as we can in the state playoffs,” said coach McHale.

“We expected to bounce back from the first game loss. We have great senior leadership here.”

Quarterback Borgia was a wide receiver for the Bucks last season. “He was a very good receiver for us,” said McHale. “He was All-League. He is an excellent athlete and a great leader. He has some nice receivers to throw to here.”

The coaching staff has high hopes for sophomore back Buckley.

“He rushed for 500 yards and three touchdowns in limited action as a freshman last year. He was out for a few games with an injury.

“He worked very hard in the off season to come back strong. He really looks good so far. We expect big things from him this year.”

Coach McHale said he expects the team defense to continue to improve. “With each game, we will continue to work hard to get better. And we will.”

henzesMcHale said the team is working hard with Henzes out, but looks forward to having the iconic head coach back. “The team misses coach Henzes. He is a great example for all of our guys. We are hoping he comes back this season. But it is one day at a time for him as he recuperates.

“We are doing our best to fill the void and keep the intensity level up. We are trying to keep things simple.”

Dunmore is the defending District 2 Class 2A champion and has claim to the last four district titles.

Dunmore tied a school record with 14 wins advancing to the PIAA Class 2A semifinal last year. Henzes led Dunmore to 29 straight regular season wins prior to the opening night loss this year to Prep.

Henzes, who is currently recovering from heart valve surgery, has been head football coach at Dunmore since 1971 after spending four years as head coach at Wyoming Area (1966-1969). He began his coaching career as an assistant at Blakely High School under his late dad, Papa Bear Henzes.

His career coaching record is 435-160-8.

Doin’ Dunmore: McGinty’s Wins Third Straight Dunmore Freedom League Title

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Doin Dunmore McGinty team

Members of the McGinty team include, kneeling from left: Colin Maldonado, Charlie Terrery, Manager Tyler Chulvick, PJ Mandarano and Corey Sullivan. Standing, same order: Robert Donovan, Dan Capwell, Justin Magistro, Robert Seprish, Alex Terrery, Billy Keating, Zack Foley-McGinty, Mike Villa and Riley Sullivan.

By Steve Svetovich

McGinty’s won its third consecutive Dunmore Freedom League title with two wins over the Dunmore entry last month at West Scranton’s Battaglia Field.

Managed by Tyler Chulvick, McGinty’s played Honesdale in the semi finals, taking two of three games at Dunmore’s Sherwood Park last month.

McGinty’s finished the regular season with a 6-4 record as the number two playoff seed to first place Dunmore.

All regular season games were played at Dunmore’s Sherwood Park.

Members of the title team include the player-manager Tyler Chulvick, Charlie Terrery, P.J. Mandarano, Corey Sullivan, Robert Donovan, Dan Capwell, Justin Magistro, Robert Seprish, Alex Terrery, Billy Keating, Zack Foley-McGinty, Mike Villa, Riley Sullivan, Corey Rinaldi, and Colin Maldonato.

McGinty’s lost its first best-of-three playoff game, 8-4, at Dunmore’s Sherwood Park.

The team came back strong in game two with a 16-0 win over Honesdale at Sherwood Park.

Riley Sullivan hurled a five-inning shutout in the 16-0 win. He struck out three while allowing only one hit and one walk.

“It was a very efficient effort by Riley,” said manager Chulvick.

baseballZack Foley-McGinty had three hits, including a triple, in the win. Billy Keating had three hits, including two doubles. P.J. Mandarano and Dan Capwell both had two hits and three RBIs each.

“The team was fired up after that win,” said Chulvick.

McGinty’s then beat Honesdale, 8-5, at Sherwood Park to advance to the best-of-three championship against Dunmore.

Colin Maldonato had a seven-inning complete game win in the semi final contest. He struck out six while allowing only four hits and two earned runs.

Foley-McGinty continued his hot hitting with a 4-for-4 game and three RBIs. Keating hit in the go-ahead runs in the eighth inning.

P.J. Mandarano pitched a masterpiece shutting out Dunmore, 5-0, in the first game of the best-of-three finals at Battaglia Field. He struck out six and gave up only one hit and three walks in the seven-inning shutout.

Mike Villa and Alex Terrery had two hits each in the win. Justin Magistro drove in three runs with a double in the first inning to put the team ahead for good.

McGinty’s then came back from behind in game two to win the Dunmore Freedom League title, 13-9, over arch rival and number one seed Dunmore.

Sullivan picked up the win with excellent relief work.

“He did a really nice job,” said Chulvick.

Alex Terrery had two hits, including a double. Villa hit a double and triple. Magistro added two hits.

baseballDylan Svetovich led Dunmore with four hits. Anthony Duchnowski had two hits for Dunmore. Matt Fisch added a double for Dunmore who had a 10-2 regular season record.

Players on the McGinty’s team ranged from age 21 for P.J. Mandarano to age 59 for Charlie Terrery, the oldest player in the league.

“Charlie is a key member of the team,” said Chulvick. “He keeps us together. He serves a big role on the team. He keeps us out of trouble and focused. He keeps us unified as a team. He also gets some big hits for us. We expect him back next year too.”

Keating and Foley-McGinty led the team in hitting. Both had batting averages over .400. Alex Terrery and Magistro both hit over .350.

“A big key to this year’s team was adding P.J. Mandarano and Colin Maldonato as pitchers. They made the difference. It was great having them on our side.

“This was our third title in a row and it was my favorite of the three. It was the most difficult of the three.

“We came into the summer with great expectations, started slow, but then picked up as the year went on. The depth of our pitching staff is what helped us most win the title. Some of our starters got us some key complete games. And that was huge. It gives other pitchers a rest.

“We had to grind out a lot of wins. That is why this is my favorite of the three.”

Athlete of the Month: Keelin Schimelfenig

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Keelin SchimelfenigBy Steve Svetovich

Keelin Schimelfenig loves the game of softball.

And the Holy Cross junior will tell you about her passion for the game.

Daughter of Joi Siebecker and Kerry Schimelfenig, Keelin, 16, was in her first year on the Holy Cross Lady Crusaders varsity softball team as a sophomore last season.

As a third baseman-DH, she did her best to become a strong contributor for the team. She had a clutch hit that tied the district championship game against Old Forge. The big hit sparked Holy Cross to the win over Old Forge and a district title.

Keelin, who is very genuine and sincere, reiterated how much she loves the game of softball. “I try to openly show my love for the game and improve. My love for the game rubs off on my teammates.”

holy crossKeelin, whose best subject is English, has a 3.2 grade point average at Holy Cross. She is a member of the Pro Life Club. She played one year of junior varsity baseball before making varsity last season.

Keelin tunes up her game in the summer by playing in two leagues, including a travel softball league.

“I just love to play,” she said.

Keelin, who has a very caring and humble personality, said she would like to become a registered nurse like her mom someday. She hopes to study nursing in college. Her top two college choices are Quinippiac College and Penn State.

“If there is an opportunity to play softball, then I will. I do want to incorporate softball into something when I get older.”

Keelin said she eventually wants to become a traveling R.N. “I would like to travel the country while working as a nurse.”

She talked about her immediate goals at Holy Cross. “I want to continue playing softball and help our team. I want to become more school oriented. I want to succeed in my studies and make my grades higher.

“I want to get into the medical field and become an R.N. like my mom. I want to take after my mom.”

Status-FastPitch-Game-Leather-Softball“I want to become better at my sport of softball. I dedicate all of my time to it. I want to help make my teammates as happy as I am playing. It is the only sport I play, so I need to be dedicated. I really enjoy it.”

Dan McGee, her junior varsity coach, is the softball coach for her summer recreational team and travel team.

“I play a lot of games in the summer. There have been a lot of rainouts lately though. Other than that, things are going very well.

“Coach McGee teaches me a lot. I learned how to improve my batting through him. He changed my batting stance completely. And he worked on my footing and throws to help me become a better fielder.”

Keelin’s mom was a standout track and field runner at Scranton Technical High School. Keelin said her parents taught her a lot. “My parents teach me about dedication. They teach me that being dedicated will only improve myself as a player. They tell me if I show dedication, it will also push everyone else to become better.”

Keelin, soft spoken yet enthusiastic, said she loves listening to all kinds of music and goes to a lot of concerts.

The student-athlete also has a love for animals and helping others.

She loves playing for Holy Cross veteran softball coach Joe Ross. “I have learned so much about the game of softball from him. But the main thing he teaches us is that we can be serious, but have fun at the same time.”

Keelin not only loves softball, but she loves her school.

“I absolutely love it here at Holy Cross. Everyone is so welcoming here. The teachers, staff and students make you feel so welcome. They help you no matter what. I remember the seniors all helping us out when we were freshmen. This is really a great place to go to school.”