The Pine Grove baseball team poses at the gravesite of former classmate and teammate Chase E. Morgan after winning the Cardinal Classic title Saturday night.

Cleaning out the email and the winter sports notebooks … lots of good nuggets of information in the latest edition of Boyer’s Bulletin as we transition from the winter sports season to the spring. Make sure you read until the end.

Charity Bowl wraps up local HS basketball season

The 2024-25 high school basketball season for Schuylkill County student-athletes will officially conclude Friday with the playing of the 49th annual Schuylkill County Senior Charity Bowl at Martz Hall.

The girls’ game will tip-off at 7 p.m., with the boys’ game to follow. Tickets cost $5 per person. Proceeds will benefit the local Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions clubs.

Senior players from Mahanoy Area, Marian, Minersville, North Schuylkill, Panther Valley, Shenandoah Valley and Tamaqua will comprise the North team, while players from Blue Mountain, Nativity, Pine Grove, Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, Tri-Valley and Williams Valley will suit up for the South.

In the girls’ game, North Schuylkill’s Rich Wetzel and his assistants Steve Ennis and Joe Himes will serve as the North coaches, while Williams Valley’s Shane Zellers, Schuylkill Haven’s Tony Sanders and Tri-Valley’s John Mika will coach the South.

In the boys’ game, Tamaqua head coach Jim Barron and new North Schuylkill head coach Anthony Agosti will be the North coaches. Nativity head coach Mike Walborn and assistant coach Mike Yordy will serve as the South coaches.

Here are the rosters for both games:

GIRLS

North Stars — Ayla Castle, Minersville; Carley Hasara, Marian; Hannah Kane, North Schuylkill; Morgan Labosky, Shenandoah Valley; Maria Monahan, North Schuylkill; Samantha Plasha, Tamaqua; Kolbe Robb, Tamaqua; Veronica Scott, Tamaqua; Olivia Thomas, Marian; and Natalie Vermillion, Panther Valley

South Stars — Cameryn Campbell, Blue Mountain; Faith Goehring, Schuylkill Haven; Jasmine Hechler, Williams Valley; Ruby Henninger, Blue Mountain; Keirra Jones, Pottsville; Makayla Keck, Blue Mountain; Hannah Leininger, Pine Grove; Alea Porter, Schuylkill Haven; Anna Schaeffer, Schuylkill Haven; Ayla Schneck-Haines, Pine Grove; Sage Smeltz, Williams Valley; and Addison Zimmerman, Pine Grove

BOYS

North Stars — Cooper Ansbach, Tamaqua; Brandon Boris, Shenandoah Valley; Logan Fisher, Panther Valley; Logan Hutsko, Minersville; Luke Kane, Tamaqua; Dawson Manning, Minersville; Noah Mateyak, Tamaqua; William Mayberry, Mahanoy Area; Connor Penberth, Panther Valley; Bradley Kostishak, Minersville; Jace Yedsena, Mahanoy Area; and Tanner Zawada, Mahanoy Area

South Stars — Chase Baldwin, Blue Mountain; Merik Brayford, Blue Mountain; Quinn Brommer, Pine Grove; Brayden Crisswell, Williams Valley; Noah Dolbin, Nativity; Brayden Fasnacht, Schuylkill Haven; Aidan Grace, Blue Mountain; London Ivy, Pottsville; Letrel Montone, Pottsville; Blake Schwartz, Tri-Valley; Sam Walborn, Nativity; and Derek Watkins, Pottsville

Lourdes’ PIAA run ends

Lourdes’ bid to reach the PIAA Class A girls’ basketball state championship game for the second time in three years fell one stop short when the Red Raiders fell 60-45 to District 3 champion Linville Hill Christian in a state semifinal game Saturday at Martz Hall.

Linville Hill hit 13 3-pointers in the victory, with Desiree Smucker canning five and leading all scorers with 20 points. The Warriors built a 23-14 lead after a fast-paced first quarter, led 33-23 at halftime and maintained that cushion through the second half.

Freshman Sophia Karlovich came off the bench to lead Lourdes with 14 points, while fellow freshman Kylla Sandri had 10. The District 4 champion Red Raiders finish the season 23-7, winning six straight postseason games after falling to Schuylkill Haven in the Schuylkill League quarterfinals.

With 6-foot-1 sophomore center Hannah Lokitis, guards Sandri and Onaleigh Barnes, forward Vivian Reiprish and Karlovich all returning, expect the Red Raiders to be a top contender in the Schuylkill League next season.

PIAA Basketball Championships this weekend in Hershey

Linville Hill (25-2) advances to face District 6 champ Bishop Guilfoyle, which beat District 6 runner-up Bishop Carroll 49-42 in the other semifinal, in the PIAA Class A state final at noon Friday at the Giant Center in Hershey. Bishop Guilfoyle is the defending Class A state champion.

The PIAA Basketball Championships will take place Thursday-Saturday at the Giant Center. The three-day extravaganza begins at 9 a.m. Thursday with the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Unified Bocce Championships featuring Bald Eagle Area, Blackhawk, Downingtown East, Meadville, Palmyra, Salisbury, South Park and Sun Valley.

The PIAA Basketball Championships will be televised live on PCN. Tickets must be purchased online at www.piaa.org.

Here is the schedule for the PIAA Basketball Championships:

THURSDAY

2A girls, 5-1 Berlin Brothersvalley (26-2) vs. 6-1 Bishop McCort (26-4), noon

A boys, 12-1 Sankofa Freedom Academy vs. 7-1 The Neighborhood Academy (28-1), 2 p.m.

3A girls, 4-1 Loyalsock Township (29-2) vs. 7-2 Shady Side Academy (28-1), 6 p.m.

4A boys, 12-1 Devon Prep vs. 3-1 Berks Catholic (24-4), 8 p.m.

FRIDAY

A girls, 3-1 Linville Hill Christian (25-2) vs. 6-1 Bishop Guilfoyle (29-2), noon

2A boys, 3-2 Linville Hill Christian (23-5) vs. 7-3 Sewickley Academy (24-5), 2 p.m.

6A girls, 1-1 Perkiomen Valley (27-3) vs. 7-1 Upper St. Clair (23-6), 6 p.m.

5A boys, 12-1 Neumann-Goretti (18-11) vs. 3-1 Hershey (25-3), 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

4A girls, 12-2 Neumann-Goretti (25-4) vs. 12-3 Lansdale Catholic (23-5), noon

3A boys, 12-1 West Catholic (13-14) vs. 7-1 South Allegheny (27-3), 2 p.m.

5A girls, 12-1 Archbishop Wood (22-7) vs. 7-2 South Fayette (28-2), 6 p.m.

6A boys, 12-2 Father Judge (23-7) vs. 12-3 Roman Catholic (25-5), 8 p.m.

Some notes on the PIAA Basketball Championships:

*** Former Tri-Valley star player and state championship girls’ basketball coach Bob Felty Jr. is the athletic director at Perkiomen Valley, which is in the girls’ Class 6A title game.

*** No teams from District 11 reached the PIAA finals. The Parkland boys were in last year’s Class 6A boys’ title game but lost 53-51 to Central York. The last District 11 squads to win a PIAA state championship were the Nativity (Class A) and Allentown Central Catholic (4A) boys in 2021.

*** Nine of the 24 teams are from Philadelphia’s District 12.

*** Linville Hill Christian and Neumann-Goretti have both their boys’ and girls’ teams playing in Hershey this weekend.

*** There are seven (7) public schools among the 24 teams playing for a state basketball championship this weekend: Hershey boys (5A), South Allegheny boys (3A), Berlin Brothersvalley girls (2A), Loyalsock Township girls (3A), South Fayette girls (5A), Perkiomen Valley girls (6A) and Upper St. Clair girls (6A).

Last year, 12 public schools reached the PIAA basketball finals, with the Blackhawk girls (4A) and Aliquippa (2A), Lincoln Park (4A) and Central York (6A) boys winning titles.

Every year there’s a debate over the public and private schools when it comes to the PIAA basketball (and football, for that matter) playoffs. I doubt that I’ll see it in my lifetime, but a four-class public-school tournament and a two-class private school tourney makes a lot of sense.

Two local teams reach Middle School state tournament

A pair of Schuylkill County boys’ basketball teams competed last weekend in the 2025 Pennsylvania Middle School Basketball Championships held in the State College area.

The Saint Clair eighth-grade team went 2-2 in the 8^th Grade Silver Division in games played at Tyrone Area High School. The Saints were 1-2 in pool play, losing to Elizabeth Forward 52-44 and Warminster 44-40 before beating Bishop Guilfoyle 48-41. In a consolation game Sunday, Saint Clair defeated MARA White 46-42.

The Schuylkill Haven seventh-grade squad finished 3-1 in the 7^th Grade Silver Division, winning Pool B with a 2-0 record. In pool play, Haven defeated South Park 63-26 at the C3 Sports Dome and Quakertown 48-25 at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy.

In the championship quarterfinals, Schuylkill Haven fell short against Cumberland Valley 56-53 at the Nittany Valley Sports Center. In a consolation game, Haven rebounded with a 53-47 victory over Springford in a game played at State College High School.

Congratulations to both squads on making it to states and representing Schuylkill County well. Bright futures ahead.

FBLA fundraiser has fantastic finish

Mahanoy Area held its second annual Mahanoy Community vs. Students basketball showcase Thursday, March 20, in the Mickey Holland Gymnasium to benefit the school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) group as it prepares to compete in a state competition in April.

The showcase pitted an adult Community Team headed by Mahanoy Area’s all-time leading scorer, Meggan Yedsena, against a Student Team led by senior Jace Yedsena, Meggan’s nephew. Jace’s mom, Natalie, also played for the Community Team.

Rosters for the game, according to Skook News, were:

Community Team — James Kane, Natalie Zawada, Shane Quick, Matt Gianelli, Darren Kline, Tom Smith, Eric Moucheron, Teddy Styka, Jansen McDonald and Meggan Yedsena

Student Team — Mikey Oblas (head coach), Jack Rhoades (assistant coach), Haley Mroczka, Ian Schock, Aidan Bowman, Emma Manley, Caylin Blashock, Lexie Chilinskas, Brooke Hanrahan, Felicia Bro, Peyton Sendatch, Carly Honus, Tanner Zawada, William Mayberry and Jace Yedsena.

The game had a thrilling finish as the Student Team tied it with 30 seconds left. After current Mahanoy Area boys’ coach Teddy Styka missed a 3-pointer that would have put the Community Team ahead, Peyton Sendatch collected an errant shot and hit a buzzer-beating three to give the Student Team a 93-90 victory.

For more details on the game, plus a video of the thrilling finish, check out the Skook News story at https://www.skooknews.com/2025/03/mahanoy-area-fbla-fundraiser-sees.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawJRdQhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHS7OxWr_Pf0tgyvK-PfccYciSpY_ztpnTLFzMaIhq1HZjMqA0H9RdDG9kA_aem_gqCBwK5riADkztaZLO4jlg

Coaching Vacancies

Two Schuylkill County school districts have posted head coach openings on social media in recent days.

Tamaqua is looking for a head girls’ volleyball coach for the fall 2025 season. Interested applicants may complete a coaching application found on the district website (www.tamaqua.k12.pa.us/domain/8) along with a brief volleyball and professional resume.

Candidates can email athletic director Mike Hromyak at mhromyak@tamaquasd.org for more information.

*** Tri-Valley posted Wednesday evening on its social media pages and the district website that it’s looking for a head girls’ basketball coach for the 2025-26 season.

Interested applicants should submit an application, letter of interest and all relevant experience to superintendent Matthew Horoschak by email to employment@tvdawgs.net.

John Mika guided the Dawgs the past two seasons. Battling number issues, Tri-Valley compiled a 4-18 overall record in 2024-25, 4-10 in Schuylkill League Division II play.

Champion Cardinals honor former teammate

We wrap up this edition of Boyer’s Bulletin with a touching story from Pine Grove.

The Pine Grove baseball team captured the championship of the Cardinal Classic tournament Saturday, defeating Western Wayne 11-1 and Lake-Lehman 6-3 in the final.

After the game, the team took the championship trophy to the cemetery adjacent to Stump Stadium and shared a moment at the gravesite of former classmate and teammate Chase E. Morgan, who passed away Feb. 20, 2018, at the age of 9 after a bout with cancer.

Morgan, who would be a high school junior this year, would have turned 17 on March 21. His courageous battle against cancer rallied the Pine Grove community, with the motto #ChaseStrong spreading throughout Schuylkill County.

For a look back at Morgan’s story, see this story put together by WBRE:

Several members of the current Pine Grove baseball team were teammates with Morgan in both Little League and soccer. They’ve never forgotten Morgan, with Saturday’s visit to the cemetery serving as a reminder how much he inspired them to keep fighting.