Boyer’s Bulletin: A look back and a look ahead
Martz Hall was packed for Friday's Schuylkill League championship doubleheader (Photo by Leroy Boyer).
Wow, what a weekend.
When it comes to basketball … wow, what a week.
If you’re a Schuylkill County high school sports fan, the past week was full of great events that featured packed crowds and intense competition, from the hardwood to the mat to the stage.
Martz Hall rocked all week for the Schuylkill League basketball playoffs, with two great championship games Friday night providing the perfect finale. Official paid attendance for Friday night was 3,101, meaning roughly 3,500-plus were at Martz Hall for the exciting twinbill.
Over the weekend, five Schuylkill League girls’ wrestlers punched their tickets to regionals, with Panther Valley’s Brenda Banks and Pine Grove’s Geanna Lemke earning District 11 gold medals.
Then, Sunday evening, Tamaqua’s Luke Frohnheiser was named the Schuylkill Chapter No. 25 of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete, becoming the first Blue Raider to win the award since 2008.
Here’s one writer’s view and some additional tidbits from the past week and a look ahead at what’s to come this week:
Looking Back
BACK TO BACK: Congratulations to the Schuylkill Haven girls’ basketball team for winning its second consecutive Schuylkill League crown.
The Hurricanes scored impressive wins over Mahanoy Area (53-38) and Lourdes (38-31) to capture the league title, their 12th straight victory. Mckenna Runkle and Audrey Hutchinson were simply dominant in both games … each taking over the title game at some point in the second half.
Some additional Hurricane tidbits: The score from Friday’s game was the same as the score of the 2025 championship game (38-31), when Haven defeated North Schuylkill. … This group of Schuylkill Haven players is an amazing 9-0 at Martz Hall. The Hurricanes get a chance to make that 10 straight when they open District 11 Class 3A play there Saturday against MaST Community Charter at 6 p.m.
FULL STORY: Haven girls go back to back, www.t102sportsnow.com/2026/02/13/sl-girls-championship-haven-downs-lourdes-for-2nd-straight-league-title/
CLASS ACT: The loss was the first one of the 2026 calendar year for Lourdes, as its 16-game win streak came to an end.
The Red Raiders (22-2) may not lose again this season, as they are heavy favorites to repeat as District 4 Class A champions and make a long run in the PIAA Class A playoffs. I personally expect them to be playing Friday, March 20, at noon in Hershey in the state finals.
The loss also prevented long-time Lourdes coach Michael Klembara from achieving one of the few things he hasn’t done in his 44 seasons, win a Schuylkill League title.
Showing his class, Klembara conducted every interview afterward in a positive fashion, saying, “This will help us.” He’s right.
No team has pressured Lourdes’ guards like Schuylkill Haven, and the Red Raiders can use the film from Friday’s game as a learning tool when preparing for the tough teams in District 3 and District 5 in the state playoffs who will try to do the same thing.
NOTHIN’ COULD BE FINER: Congratulations to Minersville on its first-ever Schuylkill League boys’ basketball championship.
In one of the most thrilling boys’ title games in recent memory, the Miners rallied in the second half to force overtime, then outlasted Pottsville 47-44-47 to claim the program’s first-ever league crown.
The title is not the first-ever Schuylkill League boys’ championship in any sport for Minersville as was originally thought Friday night. The Miners’ boys’ cross country team won back-to-back Schuylkill League titles in 2022-23.
Personally, I think the person who urged/convinced Chris George to apply for the Minersville head coaching position during the offseason deserves a gold medal, too. I’ve known Chris since his days as a girls’ head coach and teacher at Pine Grove. He was the right guy for the job as his personality and experience were a perfect fit for the Miners.
One thing I personally liked was that throughout his post-game interviews and his stint the next morning on WPPA Sports Saturday, George continuously praised the previous coaching staff for laying the foundation for this team’s success, mentioning Dave Mullaney, John Toomey, Cliff Woodford and others. That’s a very classy move.
The Minersville players didn’t forget, either, racing up the Martz Hall steps to get a photo with Mullaney and Woodford and the league championship trophy during the post-game celebration.
FULL STORY: Miners capture 1st title, www.t102sportsnow.com/2026/02/13/sl-boys-championship-pottsville-vs-minersville/
STUDENT SECTIONS: Minersville was the big winner in the Martz Hall stands, too, as the Miners were crowned the champions of the Student Section Showdown contest co-sponsored by Skook News, T102 Sports Now and WPPA Sports Saturday.
The Minersville students had great themes and large showings throughout, were loud and conducted cheers with the Minersville cheerleaders.
They also didn’t break any of the contest rules that eliminated other title contenders, like cursing in chants, bringing props (and then leaving them in a box at Martz Hall) or getting in trouble with their principal (who just happens to be a T-102 broadcaster).
Overall, I thought the student sections were great. They brought the spirit that separates the Schuylkill League playoffs from those held throughout the state … that was the whole goal of the contest.
I loved the mascots, from the Golden Bear to the Bulldog to Captain Cane, whatever that is. The themes were great, too. Pottsville’s beach theme was a hit with me. Schuylkill Haven’s students sporting painted bellies spelling 25back2back26! was impressive as well. The Pottsville and Schuylkill Haven student sections get the award for “Best Use of Newspapers at Martz Hall.”
The goal, moving forward, is for those schools’ student sections to bring the same energy, enthusiasm and numbers to their teams’ District 11 and PIAA playoff games. The boys and girls need your support in the district playoffs, too, no matter what gym they play at.
SHOUT OUTS: Long-time PIAA official Joe Gerchak was honored prior to the Schuylkill League girls’ championship game for this being his 50th season as a PIAA basketball referee. Well-deserved notoriety for a great official, not just in basketball, but in football and baseball, too.
Kudos to the guys who worked the scorer’s table for championship week — announcer Bob Umbenhauer, clock operator Mike Kiehner and scorekeeper Bernard Bruni — who kept the tournament running smoothly.
This was the first Schuylkill League basketball playoffs for new Pottsville athletic director Pete Sanfilippo, and he did an excellent job. Kudos to all of those people behind the scenes, the ticket takers, security people, concession workers, etc. Awesome job.
GREATNESS ON THE MAT: It’s hard to fathom, considering girls’ wrestling is a relatively new sport, but we are witnessing one of the most successful high school careers in any sport by a Schuylkill League athlete.
Panther Valley’s Brenda Banks has put together a wrestling career for the ages, and she’s not done yet.
The senior 235-pound superstar is 30-0 so far this season and 103-2 for her career.
Wow. Think about those numbers for a moment.
Now add this to them: This season, her 30 wins include 25 pins and five forfeit wins. All 25 of those falls came in the first period. That’s domination.
For her career, Banks is a three-time state champion and has now won three District 11 gold, three Southeast Regional gold and two PIAA state gold (Remember, girls’ wrestling only became a sanctioned PIAA sport for the 2023-24 season). She has 78 career falls.
Sunday, she earned Outstanding Wrestler honors at the District 11 Girls’ Wrestling Championships. She’ll look to finish her outstanding career as the girls’ wrestling postseason continues with regionals this Sunday and states March 5-7 in Hershey.
Good luck to Brenda and the rest of the girls’ and boys’ wrestlers.
GIRLS’ WRESTLING DISTRICT STORY: https://www.t102sportsnow.com/2026/02/15/hs-wrestling-banks-lemke-capture-district-11-girls-gold/
SUPER SCHOLAR: My favorite banquet to attend every year is the Schuylkill Chapter No. 25 scholar-athlete banquet, which this year was held Sunday evening at the Schuylkill IU 29.
The event is a celebration of Schuylkill County high school football, with all 14 teams represented, on-field success recognized and senior scholar-athletes from each school highlighted. The scholar-athlete committee, in particular master of ceremonies Dr. Matt Smarkanic, does an excellent job putting on a great show.
This year’s field was very balanced. Every year I look through the bios and try to pick the winner. Some years it’s pretty easy. Others, like this one, are pretty tough.
There were 5-6 nominees that could have easily been named the winner — great on-field success, GPAs over 4.0, ranked top five in their class, long list of extra-curricular activities, honor societies and community work.
Frohnheiser was a great choice by the committee. He’s one of those unsung heroes who excels at everything he does without a ton of attention. The excitement on his face when he spoke about his work with the non-profit Sweet Inclusion program for special needs students at Tamaqua — his sister Emma has Down Syndrome — is something I’ll always remember from this year’s banquet.
Some other quick notes: Kudos to Marian’s Carly Green, who sang a great rendition of the National Anthem. She’s so good she immediately left the banquet to sing at another function. … In her departure, Schuylkill County Commissioner Boots Hetherington came out of the bullpen to lead the signing of “God Bless America,” and did a fantastic job. … All three Schuylkill County Commissioners were in attendance and have been big supporters of the scholar-athlete program. That’s great to see.
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE FULL STORY: https://www.t102sportsnow.com/2026/02/16/hs-football-tamaquas-frohnheiser-named-schuylkill-chapter-no-25-scholar-athlete/
Looking Ahead
DISTRICT DIVING: The district level of the postseason for the winter sports continues tonight and Wednesday with the District 11 Diving Championships at Parkland High School. Action gets under way at 5:30 p.m. both nights.
The boys’ competition is tonight, with Pottsville’s Adam Klinger looking to repeat as District 11 Class AA champion. There are six divers in the boys’ AA field, with Pottsville’s Colin Kline and Spencer Prestileo, Northwestern Lehigh’s Hayden Slaski and Harper Slaski, and ACC’s Luke Anderson joining Klinger. The top two placewinners advance to states.
Blue Mountain’s Hailey Scheuer headlines a group of seven girls in the Class AA girls’ competition. The defending champion is joined by teammates Shyanna White, Molly Stone and Ana Oettl, North Schuylkill’s Annabelle Bennett, Pottsville’s Lila Evans and ACC’s Alyssa Stahlnecker. The top two placewinners advance to states.
For updates on District 11 Diving, follow me on X @pubsportsboss and get updates on the T102 Sports Now Facebook page.
ON THE MAT: The District 11 Boys’ Wrestling Championships will be held this weekend at Bethlehem Freedom (AA) and Bethlehem Liberty (3A) high schools, with the finals for both classes set for Saturday at Liberty. There are several Schuylkill League wrestlers that have a strong chance at garnering gold.
T102 Sports Now wrestling writer Bob Lipsky will have full coverage of the Class AA and 3A tournaments, with a preview story before the tourney and in-depth coverage Friday and Saturday. Follow him on X @BobLipskyRH.
The girls, meanwhile, continue action Sunday at the Southeast Regional Tournament at Quakertown High School. In addition to Banks and Lemke, Panther Valley’s Alisa Williams and Pine Grove’s Rieleigh Purcell and Audrey Graeff also qualified for regionals.
Girls’ Wrestling Pairings: https://www.t102sportsnow.com/2026/02/16/hs-girls-wrestling-locals-learn-pairings-for-regionals/
DISTRICT 11 HOOPS: The District 11 Basketball Tournament gets into full swing Friday and Saturday with quarterfinal action.
There are three first-round games — or play-in games — that are scheduled for tonight. One involves the Blue Mountain girls, who host Saucon Valley in a Class 4A contest at 7 p.m.
We’ll have more on the District 11 Basketball Tournament later this week.
For a complete look at the District 11 brackets, which includes advance ticket information, visit here:
GIRLS’ BRACKETS: https://www.t102sportsnow.com/2026/02/15/girls-basketball-district-11-unveils-playoff-brackets/
BOYS’ BRACKETS: https://www.t102sportsnow.com/2026/02/15/boys-basketball-dawgs-miners-tide-earn-d-11-top-seeds/
