h Sports \ { + a By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Correspondent Back Mountain Division I Ameri- can girls’ softball team defeated the Back Mountain Nationals, 13-10, last week to win the District 16 Little League Girls’ Softball title. The win advanced the Americans to sectional competition, hosting the chamgicnship team from District 15 tain American girls are the local area’s last hope for a state title since the boys’ teams and the other girls’ teams have already been eliminated. WYSOCKI GETS WIN The Back Mountain American girls went against the Nationals last Tuesday at the Back Mountain soft- ball field with Denise Wysocki pick- ing up the win. The victory was not as easily won as the score indicates because the Nationals never gave up. The Amer- ican team was in front, 9-8, going into the sixth inning, but Stephanie Kriner led off with a single and went to second on a National error. Wendy Cave took first on a walk, then Wysocki hit a short fly which Krupa, allowing Kriner and Cave to score. Melanie Marino grounded to first and Wysocki scored on the play. ( Jodi Ward hit a single to the infield and K. Moyer walked. Alli- son Labbate walked to load the bases and after Patrice Shovlin struck out, Theresa Mathers walked to force in Ward with the 13th run for the Americans. Jennifer Coon collected the third out on a fielder’s choice. NATIONALS SCORE TWO In the bottom of the sixth, the Nationals scored two runs with two out. Relief hurler Noel Brooks went to first on an error and Mandy Jones took base on a walk. Megan Sheehan rapped out an RBI single then Bridget Hozemps hit a single to score Jones. On a bad throw, Shee- han was waved home but was thrown out at the plate for teh third out. Starting hurler for the Nationals was Jennifer Gable who was relieved by Brooks in the fourth inning. Brooks walked Kriner, Cave and Wysocki and was relieved by Leeann Rogers, who also had trou- ble controlling the ball. ‘ AMERICAN BOYS WIN In the boys “division of the Back Mountain Little ‘League, the Back Mountain American team copped the B Division title by edging out Ashley-Newton, 3-2, last Friday. Mark Medura led the local team to its win with his game-winning single and hs performance on the pitching mound. After the. first two innings, the game became a pitch- ing duel between Medura ans Ashley-Newwon’s John Mihalchick. Ashley-Newton scored a run in the top of the first inning to go in front, 1-0, but the local boys came right back in the bottom of the first to score two runs when Brian Miller walked, then took two bases on two passed balls. With one out, Silas Fernandez walked to put runners on first and third. The Ashley team tried to pick off Fernandez but the throw went over the first baseman’s head, allowing Miller to: score and Fernandez to go to third. Medura came up and drove out a double to score Fernandez and give the Back Mountain a 2-1 lead. SCORE TIED Ashley-Newton tied the score in the top of the second inning. Neither team was able to score until the seventh inning when Medura’s single drove in the winning run for the Back Mountain American team. Medura went all the way, giving up only five hits, two runs, fanning nine and walking five. Mihalchick pitched six innings, giving up five hits, three runs, striking out eight and walking nine. SENIOR GIRLS LOSE In the senior girls division, Back Mountain girls defeated Bob Hor- lacher, 10-2 on July 14 to advance to last Wednesday’s game with Moun- taintop where they were defeated, 5- 2. Tammy Danna of Mountaintop and Kim Schultz for the Back Moun- tain, two of the area’s top Little other, but it wasn’t Schultz’s night as she walked 12 batters, giving up only two hits and striking out four. Danna was in top form, giving up only our hits, walking only two and striking out three. The Mountaintop girls copped the District 16 title which Back Mountain teams had held for the past three years. Schultz, Laura Poynton, Jill Urbanis and Lori Piatt led the Back Mountain girls at the plate. LOCALS SCORE SEVEN In Monday night’s game with Bob Horlacher, the Back Mountain girls came through with seven runs in the second inning to take an easy 10-2 win. They took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Urbanis walked and stole second. She went to third on a sacrifice fly by Lori Cave and score on a single by Tracy Hunter. Hunter stole second, then third and scored when the throw to tag her out went into leftfield. Kerri Kuzman put Horlacher .on the board when she scored in the bottom of the first inning. The Back Mountain exploded in the second inning for seven runs on two walks, three hits and five errors. Hunter gave the Back Moun- tain its 10th run in the sixth inning when she scored on a wild pitch. Lori Cave was the winning pitcher, giving up eight hits, fanning two and walking six. Nicole Zarnoch was the losing pitcher, giving up seven hits, fanning one and walking six. NATIONAL BOYS LOSE Back Mountain National boys were eliminated from contention for the title when they were downed, 3- 2, by the Heights team. The Back Mountain team scored two of their runs in the top of the third and led, 2-0, until the bottom of the fourth when the Heights scored two runs to tie the game at 2-2. In the fifth inning, Heights loaded the bases and went in front, 3-2, when Jay Pius drove in Ryan Price with a two-out single. Eddie George was the winning pitcher, giving up only six hits and striking out 13. AMERICANS ADVANCE The Back Mountain American trouncing Horlacher, 12-1. Mark medura did the pitching, giving up only three hits and striking out eight. He also went two-for-four at the plate, one of his hits a three-run Miller went three-for-four for the game, including a two-run homer and Hed Palka went two-for-two at the plate, one of his hits a double. LAKE BOYS DEFEATED Wyoming/West Wyoming defeated Harveys Lake, 17-2, to know the Lake Boys out of contention in the B Division of the All-Star Tournament. The winning pitcher was Mike Rushinchak, who gave up only three hits and two runs, going all the way. Spencer was the losing pitcher. After defeating Horlacher, 12-1, the Back Mountain American boys played Northwest Tuesday night and picked up a 6-1 win behind pitching by Brian Miller, who gave up only three hits. Frank Natitus stole home to spark a two-out, three run sixth inning by the local team to seal the win. Natitus had walked with two out and went to third on a single by Jeff Masley. Matt Daily and Pat Morris also hit RBI singles in the third inning. Masley hit an RBI triple in the second inning to put the Americans in front, 1-0. The Americans took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning on a two-run single by SCott Bearley. Miller fanned 10 and walked three while picking up the win. PLAYOFF SUMMARY A summary of the Back Mountain teams as they were eliminated in the District 16 Little League tourna- ment shows: Boys teams, Back Mountain Nationa, 6, Ashley 0, July 8; Back Mountain National 6, West Pittston 4, July 10; Heights 3, Back Mountain National 2, July 12; Edwardsville-Larksville 16, Harveys Lake 5, July 8; St. Therese 8, Bob Horlacher 2, July 8; Back Mountain American 1, North End 4, July 8. The losing teams dropped into Division B, playing games as shown above. Results of the girls’ softball games are indicated above. Motocross family Dallas Post/John Hoinski Jeff, 15. By JOHN HOINSKI Statf Writer One of the hottest, new crazes to hit the country has been the sport of motocross racing. Americans have flipped over it — literally. A sport that sometimes resembles dodgems on dirt, motocross has caught the eye - and legs, and arms and heads - of riders across the land. And, here in the Back Mountain, the Yagloski family of RD 4, Appletree Road, Harding, is caught right in the middle of it. Since 1973, Tony Yagloski has been putting his body through the rigors, and now he is joined by his sons, Jeff, 15, and Tony Jr., 17. And they practice right at home. On a course outside their house, the three ride their Yamahas daily anywhere from one to three hours. In addition, Tony Sr.’s brother, John, and his sister’s son, Jason Prokopchak, are also involved. : “I ‘do it mostly for recreation and to stay in shape,” said the 43-year-old Yagloski. ‘You can’t worry about the injuries. They are part of any sport.” And he has had his share. Fresh off a nasty bruise to his upper thigh, Yagloski has slammed into a tree with his head, been thrown from his bike a number of times and had a bone in his heel cracked a year ago that still bothers him. “We have been lucky not to have any serious accidents,” Tony Sr. said. ‘But we all had our share of injuries.” Although they do wear protective equipment such as hip pads, boots, a closed-face helmet and chest pads, injuries still come with the sport. Tony Jr. has had his knee smashed up, although not seriously, when another rider cut in front of _ him in mid-air, while Jeff, in his encounters, was once sprawled out on the ground when another biker came crashing down on his hands. “I try not to think about it (injuries),” said Jeff, who will be enrolling at West Side Vo-Tech next year. “But you do see accidents. There was one guy who got seven ribs broken. One of them punctured his lung.” Adds Tony Sr., “There was another one who had his stomach ripped open by the peddle of another biker. His insides just fell right out.” Their mother, Sandy, doesn’t go to the races because she thinks they are too dangerous. ‘‘But,” says her husband, ‘‘She’s happy when we come home and we’re all okay.” The clan has participated in races near Berwick, Carbondale, Sleepy Hollow by Fredericksburg, and in Englishtown, New Jersey. And, they have done well. In fact, Tony Jr., Jeff and Jason all took first place trophies over the weekend in competition in Evansville near Berwick. Tony Jr., who hopes to ride professionally some day, has accumulated 11 trophies in the two years he has been riding, while Tony Sr. has also collected his share. But the best of the family is Jeff, who would like to become a professional, too, some day. His room already resembles a huge trophy case, and in just five years of racing, he has racked up 35 trophies, most of which represent first-place fin- ishes. He is presently regarded as one of the top riders in his class in Pennsylvania and recently defeated the World Mini champ — twice. ‘‘He would be even better if he could race all year round,” Tony Sr. said. ‘‘Some of the riders he competes against are from different parts of the country where it’s always warm and they can practice all the time. That makes a big difference. You would be surprised how much your perform- ance is affected if you lay off for even two weeks.” Despite the disadvantages, and the fact that he is only 4’11”’, 100 pounds, Jeff makes up in skill, what he lacks in weight. “It’s the same as driving a car. The lighter it is, the harder it is to control,” said his father. The course itself, which is laid out with bumps and hills of various sizes and distances, usually measures around a mile, although some courses may differ. Winners can be determined by either time or by laps. “Sometimes you can hit speeds of up to 65 or 70 miles per hour,” said Tony Sr. ‘But you have to know how to ride. There might be three hills in a row. Some guys can clear them. Some guys can’t. But the beginning of the race is the most danger- ous. That’s when all the riders go into the first L- curve.” And that’s usually when the crowd gets involved. That way everyone gets to flip out. Once, when I was in college, I got the chance to do a story on the university’s prize football recruit. Up until that time, I did stories on towel shortages at the swimming pool or the jock itch epidemic that was ravaging the debate team. 1 thought I had finally hit the big time when the sports editor, a beautiful girl with the maternal instincts of a drill sergeant and a thing for wrestlers, told me to interview the'recruit and get the inside scoop. This was a big story. For the first time in memory, our school had League hurlers, went against each PSU baseball team a, beaten out Pitt and Penn State for a iy player. I was supposed to find out how and then write a back-patting story chronicling the brilliant rise of our team. Simple enough. I set up the interview and then locked myself in the research room for hours, living on nothing but beer and Eskimo fi Pies. hy The more I Ma = read, the more RICK interested I got. ROGERS The kid was 6’6’’ and 265 pounds of brute force who had an uncanny ability of disemboweling quarterbacks and sending runningbacks off the field in various states of altered consciousness. The day of the interview came and I met the recruit and a member of the athletic department in a small room of the student union. I should have been tipped off something wasn’t right when I saw that the guy from the athletic department accompanying my interview, but I was too excited to think much about it. I figured he was there to answer any technical questions I might have. To break the ice, and to put both of us at ease, I asked the recruit how he liked Sunny Side, three blocks of bars famous, or infamous depending how you look at it, for upholding the school’s impeccable party image. Without blinking, he said he preferred his eggs scrambled and, in any event, he wasn’t hungry, thank you. 1 tried to laugh it off, but the wondered what was amusing. The AD guy shifted in his chair nervously and explained what I meant. It was then I realized why the other guy was there. He was the translator. The rest of the short interview was the same comic tragedy, with the AD guy doing most of the answering. I had a pretty good idea of why and how we got this recruit. Back at the newspaper, I filed my story. The original idea was void an I wrote about what had happened and what I thought about what had happened. post rogers add one The next day, the editor gave me two choices: either rewrite the story or else. I took the second option. The story never saw print. I bring this story up because, starting August 1, athletic ability is supposed to become secondary to academic ability for incoming freshmen at major colleges and universities. The new NCAA academic standards, known as Proposition 48, will finally force colleges to do something they should have done long ago - recruit kids that can do the college work. By 1988, freshmen athletes will be required to have combined minimum standards of 700 on the SAT and a 2.0 grade point average. Proposition 48 is already receiving criticism from college coaches. The rap is that it is unfair to “inn city kids,’’ which is a nice way of saying black kids. But, if every other student has to have the right numbers to get on campus, (See ROGERS, page 10) Kiwanis plans Derby The Back Mountain Kiwanis Club would like to announce its Fifth Annual Demolition Derby to be held Sunday, Septmeber 21, at the Lehman Horse Shown Grounds, Route 118, Lehman , with a rain date of Sunday, September 28. Applications will be accepted until Septmeber 6, 1986 and will processed on a first-come, first- served basis until the field is full. Applications may be obtained by writing the Back Mountain Kiwanis Club, PO Box 2, Dallas, PA 18612 or by calling 477-2064 or 696-4394. Last year, over 120 cars were entered in the derby, competing for cash prizes and trophies with J.J. Simon besting the field of contes- tants receiving a $300 first prize and a winner’s trophy. More than 3,000 spectators viewed eight regular heats, a four-cylinder heat, powder puff heat featuring women drivers only, a consolation heat and the grand finale. Advance tickets will be on sale at local outlets to be announced or from any Back Mountain Kiwanis member. Proceeds from this event will be used for community and charitable projects sponsored entirely or in part by the Back Mountain Kiwanis Club such as youth organizations, Special Olym- pics, programs for the elderly and the Kiwanis Pediatric Heart Fund Project at the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. This year’s Major Emphasis Pro- gram theme as set ‘orth by Kiwanis International is ‘Walk with a Child” and, according to Back Mountain Kiwanis Club President Stu Oakley and Immediate Past President Jim Larson, who are this year’s Demoli- tion Derby Chairmen, proceeds. derived from the event will be used to support the Back Mountain Kiwanis Club so they may further advance these causes. Participants and spectators alike will undoubtedly receive an unfor- gettable day of family entertain- ment in return. Dallas HS sets physicals Jerry Stinson, athletic director at Dallas High School, announces that physical fitness for athletic teams will be conducted on the following days: Thursday, July 24, 8 a.m., foot-. ball, team room; 8 a.m., cross country, athletic office; 8:30 a.m., golf, athletic office. Friday, July 25, 8 a.m., field hockey, nurse’s office; 9 a.m., girls’ volleyball, nurse’s office; 9:30 a.m., cheerleaders, nurse’s office. Thursday, July 31, 8 a.m., soccer, team room; 9 a.m., male candi- dates’ makeups, nurse’s office; 9:30 a.m., female candidates’ makeups; nurse’s office. ; Lake-Lehman sets physicals Sports physicals for Lake-Lehman High School athletes will be con- ducted on the following dates: Tuesday, July 29, football; Wednesday, July 30, boys; soccer, cross country, golf; Tuesday, August 5, girls’ hockey, cheerlead- ers; Wednesday, August 6, girls’ volleyball and make-ups. All physicals will be conducted in the high school lobby between the hours of 2 and 5 p.m. Students must pick up physical examination cards and have them completed and signed by their par- ents prior to undergoing the exams. Cards may be picked up at the senior high school office. Soccer starts Lake-Lehman High School stu- dents, grades nine through 12, who wish to play varsity soccer should attend the first practice scheduled for August 11 at 4 p.m. at the junior high soccer field. League forms Anyone interested in bowling in a fun-filled mixed league at Bonomo’s in Dallas should contact Ruth at 675- 3865. League play begins September 2 at 6:30 p.m. Have a news tip? Call 675-5211 J v
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