The Dallas Post Dallas, PA August 1, 2003 Tue DALLAS POST _. Sports Nuiton meets Phil s John Kruk Timothy Nulton, Shavertown and Patrick Cawley, West Pittston, were recently invited by John Kruk, leg- endary former Phillies First Base- man, to be his pre-game guest at Vet- erans Stadium. Kruk is now a part of the Phillies broadcast team and also works in the front office. Kruk and the men met prior to the A’s doubleheader in June in the ex- ecutive offices and exchanged sto- ries and shared laughs. From left: Timothy Nulton; former Phillies first baseman John Kruk and Patrick Cawley. Abby Sordoni [Jl jumps at extra chance to compete By STEVE SEMBRAT For The Dallas Post There was a time when field hockey players had time to start a high school career before they could start thinking about a collegiate career. Times have changed, though, with the prevailing sen- timent being that it’s never too early to start. So it probably serves Abby Sordoni well to get a jump on Keystone State Games competition. The 14-year-old ; Dallas resident, who will be a fresh- First results man at Wyoming Seminary this fall, on page 10 will be on the Pocono junior squad that opens play on Thursday at the University of Scranton. Before that, she’ll take part in the new 7-on-7 tournament for players in grades 7-9 that will be held today and tomorrow at Wilkes-Barre Memo- rial Stadium, playing for Valley Styx. Sordoni figures to be one of the top incoming fresh- men in the Wyoming Valley Conference this fall. Not many have heard her name, but that could start to change as the result of KSG competition. “I would like to make a name for myself, but I'm more concerned with playing my hardest,” Sordoni said. “That’s my priority.” Getting noticed at an early age figures to help Sor- doni, who says she might like to play in college some day. She laughs nervously when she talks about the sub- ject, knowing full well she is yet to play a high school game. The U.S. Field Hockey Association, though, is looking toward younger players in its developmental process. Because many who take part in that process are college coaches, the eyes of recruiters are cast in the same ai- rection. “I have mixed feelings about that,” said Karen Klass- ner, who will be Sordoni’s coach in field hockey at Wyoming Seminary. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a healthy thing. I think kids need to be kids. The danger in starting players at a younger age is burnout. The risk for Sordoni through the next five days is overextending herself, as she could play 10 games during that span, all on artificial turf. It is some- thing that does not have her overly concerned. “I haven't really thought about it much,” Sordoni said. “I just want to go out there and play.” If she plays well, there is an excellent chance she’ll turn a few heads. That was the case during tryouts for the Pocono junior team. A number of selectors who weren't sure who she was felt that she stood out. Simi- lar performances during the Keystone State Games will See SORDONI, pg 10 The Back Mountain AAA Red Sox recently captured the AAA Championship by defeating the Orioles 12-11. From left, kneeling: Zach Dut- ter, David Miller, Tanner Baloh, Jon Lando, Justin Rivero. Second row: Jordan Stephens, Kevin Muldoon, Andrew Sabol, Christopher Clemson, Michael Banas. Coaches: Shawn Muldoon, Mark Baloh. Absent from photo: TJ Shut- lock, Jacob Sedorchuk. Gryskevicz caps high school career in style By Kevin Kazokas Post Correspondent Gryskevicz went 1-for-2 with a single for the East squad, which rallied for a dramatic 5-4 victory over the West. Ryan Gryskevicz cashed in on anoth- er opportunity to show off his baseball skills in front of professional scouts last weekend. The event marked the fifth and final round of Pennsylvania American Le- gion All-Star Showcase competition. Gryskevicz and 41 other ballplayers The Dallas High School graduate fr across the state survived the cut and member of the Back Mountain American Legion team was one of four players from the Wyoming Valley American Legion league to participate in the Pennsylvania American Legion East-West All-Star Game on Sunday at Riverside Stadium in Harrisburg. FOR THE DALLAS POST/FRED ADAMS Abby Sordoni, a 14-year-old Dallas resident, will do double duty in Keystone State Games field hock- ey competition. She’ll compete in the 7-on-7 tournament for players in grades 7-9 today and tomor- row at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium, then play for Pocono in the KSG junior competition from Thursday-Saturday at the University of Scranton. through the first four rounds. During prior rounds, scouts at each event evaluated players based on their performances in workouts and in simu- lated four-inning games. See GRYSKEVICZ, pg 10 Keystone Games underway Athletes from around the state are in the area to compete in the Keystone State Games 2003 Summer Games. The event is expected to bring 7,500 to 8,000 athletes to Luzerne and Lackawanna coun- ties, KSG executive director Owen Costello said. That is about the same amount as last year. The hub of activities will be the Wilkes-Barre = Vo-Tech school on Jumper Road in Plains Township, which is the site of KSG headquarters dur- ing the competition. The non- profit organization’s year-round home is on Hancock Street in Wilkes-Barre, Athletes can still register at KSG headquarters at the fol- lowing times: e Friday, 8 am.-8 p.m. e Saturday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4 p.m.-8 p.m. ¢ Sunday 8 a.m.-1 p.m. KSG officials estimate the games, consisting of 32 sports running from today until Sun- day, will generate as much as $5 million for area business. Starting the competition is jun- ior division baseball, tennis and a 7-on-7 field hockey tourna- ment for players in grades 7-9. More information about the games is available on the Inter- net at www.keystonegames.com, or by going to KSG headquarters, which features complete sched- ules and directions to each ven- ue. Donovan named scholar-athlete Amy Donovan, Harveys Lake, a graduate of Lake- Lehman High School, has been named to the 2002-2003 Penn- sylvania State Athletic Confer- ence (PSAC) Scholar-Athlete list. To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must attain at least a 3.25 cumulative grade point average while competing in an intercollegiate varsity sport. Use front for Lake-Lehman physicals Lake-Lehman junior and senior high boys and girls sports physi- cals will be held Tuesday, August 5, at 5 p.m. Students and per- sonnel should use the front entrance, not the rear, as had been ent. previously requested. A paving project has been postponed. Thursday, August 7, at 9 a.m., will be the final day for fall sports physicals any boys and girls in the junior high. Lehman seniors to host football camp Lake-Lehman seniors will host a pass, punt, kick football camp for fourth through ninth grade students on August 2 and 3, from 12 noon-4 p.m. Registration is $25. Call 696-1546 for more infor- mation or to register by July 16. High school coaches will be pres- Newberry Ladies to play at Applewood The Applewood golf course, Harding, will host the Newberry Country Club Ladies Golf League at its monthly outing on Thurs- day, August 14. Players are requested to meet at 9 a.m. to receive their pairings with a shotgun start scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Play will be captain and crew. Luncheon and the awarding of prizes will follow play at the home of Flo DePolo, Falls. To register call Diana Dreher or Micky Aicher before August 11.
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