EAST SHORE TOP 10 TALKING POINTS
No. 1 Dominique Watson and Ja’Lynn Burton-Jones led the Harrisburg Eagles 12-14 flag football team to the national championships Jan. 29 in New Orleans. When the Eagles landed in New Orleans, Marques Colston of the Saints, who helped sponsor their trip, met the team. Coach Clarence Watson’s club went 2-3, before losing to Arizona in the semifinals. The Eagles were representing the New York Jets after winning the New York regional, one of eight that sent teams to the finals. Cincinnatti beat Arizona for the title.
No. 2 One of the most exciting days of the year takes place Feb. 6 with the signing of national letters of intent by East Shore seniors. In recent weeks, seniors Brian Lemelle of Bishop McDevitt committed to Connecticut and Zayd Issah of Central Dauphin selected Penn State, while at Lower Dauphin, field hockey star Hunter Bracale is set to sign with Duke.
No. 3 Mechanicsburg got the best of Hershey in the team wrestling playoffs on Jan. 29, 48-22, but it didn’t take away from the much improved season turned in by the Trojans under second-year coach Brandon Bucher. Hershey wrestlers were 15-0 before finishing the season at 16-4.
No. 4 In a 66-15 victory over York Suburban that marked the end of the regular season on Jan. 26 at Hershey, the Trojans got quick pins from seniors Zach Warren (285) and Andrew Woltman (170), while senior Andrew Boyer (138) ran his record to 21-8 with a forfeit win. When asked what made the difference this year for the Trojans, Woltman said, “We just had a group of hard-working guys who were sick and tired of losing.”
No. 5 Palmyra and Lower Dauphin engaged in one of the more exciting finishes to a Mid-Penn Keystone Division boys’ basketball game this season. On Jan. 26. at Palmyra, the Cougars enjoyed a late-game lead when Kaylor Kulina hit a 3-pointer to tie the game in the final minute.
No. 6 With the clock ticking down and the game tied, Palmyra’s Shaun Robinson tossed up a shot in the final seconds that missed. The long rebound came down to senior Logan Stovall near the foul line. In one motion, Stovall jumped, rebounded the miss and shot with the ball going in for a 56-54 win as time expired.
No. 7 The Indians of coach Julie Denniston had the misfortune of facing the top-ranked girls’ basketball team in District 3 Class AAA on Jan. 29 when they visited Palmyra on senior night. Twelve Cougars scored in a 67-31 rout that was the 20th straight win for coach Ron Berman’s club this season.
No. 8 Among the highlights of the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches’ Association banquet on Jan. 26 was the induction of former Lower Dauphin coach Randy Behney into the association’s Hall of Fame. Behney, who serves as an assistant athletic director at LD, coached the Falcon girls to the PIAA Class AAA spring championship in 2009. He has also served the association as state treasurer for many years.
No. 9 Penn National trainer Brandon Kulp said his talented turf sprinter, Kyma, winner of last summer’s $200,000 Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup at Penn National, is just about ready to return to training. After winning the Governor’s Cup, Kyma ran in the Turf Monster Sprint at Philadelphia, but not well. “It rained a lot that week and the track was soft,” Kulp said. “Kyma likes a firm turf. He ran bad and bled that day, so we decided to turn him out for the winter. He’s looking good. We’re hoping he can successfully defend his title in the Governor’s to become the first horse to win it back-to-back.”
No. 10 The basketball post-season gets under way this week with the Mid-Penn tournament. Some races were still up for grabs as of press time, but the leading contenders to make the boys' tournament were Harrisburg, Susquehanna Twp,, Gettysburg and either Steel-High or MIlton Hershey. On the girls' side, Steel-High and All-America Malia Tate-DeFreitas, West Perry, Gettysburg, Boiling Springs, Central Dauphin, Cumberland Valley and CD East were all battling for division crowns, while Palmyra looked like a sure thing in the Keystone.