Sunday, January 20, 2013
Tue DALLAS POST
PAGE 9
Sports
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James toug
By TOMROBINSON
For the Dallas Post
Jared James could not help but
think negative thoughts.
When his twice-reconstructed
left knee gave out while playing
basketball in preparation for his
senior season at Lake-Lehman,
James feared he was done.
“Right when it happened, I got
down on a knee and it hurt a lot
knowing that I might have mess-
ed up my knee for a third time,”
es said. “I drove home my-
If, and I was thinking about it
all the way home, how I might
have to miss my senior season.”
The news he received after a
visit to the doctor, however, was
not so discouraging.
By the standards of his previ-
ous history with injuries, the
damage was minor and James
would only need arthroscopic
surgery to fix the latest tear to
his medial meniscus.
“I was so relieved,” he said.
“The doctor said he could prob-
ably get me back in a month to a
month and a half. It was a feeling
like no other.”
The surgical work and the re-
habilitation training that James
has become accustomed to made
that into an accurate prediction.
When Lake-Lehman’s basket-
ball team reported for the official
start of practice a month later,
James was on the court with his
espite knee problems,
hs things out
“| was so relieved. The doctor said he could prob-
ably get me back in a month to a month and a half.
It was a feeling like no other.”
Jared James
Lake-Lehman basketball player
teammates. After two more
weeks, he was going at full
speed.
Or, at least at his current full
speed.
James, who already gave up
playing soccer because of the
two reconstructive knee surger-
ies that cost him his entire fresh-
man year and the start of his ju-
nior basketball season, has
evolved into a different player.
He suffered a torn anterior cruci-
ate ligament twice, also damag-
ing his medial and lateral menis-
cus. ;
“From the past and how I used
to play, I think now I'm more
worried about my ACL and other
parts of my knee,” he said. “I defi-
nitely play a more conservative
game.”
James thinks his ability to
make sharp cuts is diminished
‘and he admits to being a bit less
daring when taking the ball to
the basket.
But, he has still found plenty of
ways to contribute to an improv-
ing Lake-Lehman program.
From his spot on the wing,
James is the team’s fourth-lead-
ing scorer and a conduit between
the team’s perimeter offense and
its inside attack.
“Pm more worried about get-
ting the assists than I am about
scoring the points,” James said.
“It has made me look for my
teammates more. I used to be the
person who was always looking
to score.
“We have a bunch of other kids
who can score and I feel like it’s
all right looking for other players
more.”
Lake-Lehman coach Brian Cut-
ter was amazed just to have
James, whom he calls the team
leader, back on the court when
practice started.
“He’s the hardest worker on
the team,” Cutter said.
Adam Dizbon leads the team
in scoring and runs the offense
from the point guard position.
Pete Borum is close behind, pro-
viding strength on the inside
with help from Cody Paraschak.
James has a knack for making
the entry pass when Borum sets
up in the low post.
“I have played with Pete since
he was a freshman and I was a
sophomore,” James said. “We
work well together.
“He’s my favorite big man I've
ever played with because he
works so hard to get position.”
That combination is part of the
BILL TARUTIS FILE PHOTO/ FOR THE DALLAS POST
Lake-Lehman's Jared James, right, defends Allen Fell, of Dallas, as Fell goes in for a shot in the
inaugural Black and Blue rivalry basketball game.
reason Lake-Lehman went 12-10
last season for its winning record
in the last 20 years. After losing
their first three games this sea-
son, the Black Knights improved
to 5-6 and gave James reason to
believe better times are ahead.
“I've been more confident with
this team than any team I've had
in the past,” James said. “I pic-
ture us going way above .500 this
year.”
Dallas’ Abby Berger swims the freestyle in the girls 200-yard
ed
medley relay against Lake-Lehman.
Mounts win with
scrambled lineup
By TOM ROBINSON
For the Dallas Post
Dallas swim coach Romayne
Mosier added some internal
competition Tuesday when the
Mountaineers easily handled ri-
val Lake-Lehman in a pair of
swimming meets at the Dallas
Middle School Natatorium.
Mosier juggled the lineup, put-
ting swimmers in different
vents and mixing up boys relay
eams to create combinations de-
signed to have close races against
each other.
When it was over, Marcus
Wagner and Sarah Fasulka had
led the way to a pair of dominant
victories.
Wagner won two individual
and two relay events to lead the
Wyoming Valley Conference
Southern Division-leading boys
team to a 142-31 rout.
Fasulka was the only Dallas
girl with two individual wins and
added a relay victory in the
.. team’s first divisional triumph,
110-69.
The boys, the only unbeaten
team in the division at 4-0,
improved their overall record
to 8-1 going into a meet that
was scheduled for Thursday at
Berwick.
“I didn’t put them in their nor-
mal events,” Mosier said. “I
wanted to just try to see what
they could do in some other
events and give them an opportu-
nity to do that.”
Wagner, who is at his best in
the 200- and 500-yard freestyle
events, showed his versatility by
winning the 200 individual me-
dley and 100 backstroke while al-
so swimming legs on two of the
team’s three winning relays.
“Marcus is the type who what-
ever you put him in he does with
heart and tries to do it well,” Mo-
sier said. “That’s just the kind of
kid he is.”
Fasulka, a sophomore, took
three seconds off her best time in
the 200 freestyle while winning
Dallas’ Brian Stepniak swims the backstroke in the boys 200-
yard medley relay against Lake-Lehman.
BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST
Dallas’ Marcus Wagner looks at the clock after winning the boys
200-yard individual medley against Lake-Lehman.
in 2:20.0.
“She’s an up-and-comer,” Mo-
sier said. “She’s improving a lot
this year, working toward her
goals and getting her best times.”
Dallas had several swimmers
contribute winning efforts.
The boys, the only unbeaten
team in the division at 4-0, im-
proved their overall record to 81
going into a meet that was sched-
uled for Thursday at Berwick.
Jack Matusiak won the 50
freestyle and 100 breaststroke
and was on the opening 200 me-
dley relay win.
Patrick Gelso won the 100 but-
terfly and was on two winning re-
lays. Brian Stepniak (500), Grant
Luksic (200) and Owen Kiluk
(100) each had one individual
win in a freestyle event and took
part in one relay win.
Jared Krawetz was on two win-
ning relays while Ezra Moore and
Dominic Augustine were on one
each.
“They’re doing real well,” Mo-
See MOUNTS, Page 10
DALLAS MOUNTAINEERS AQUATIC CLUB
Club team
The Dallas Mountaineer Aq-
uatic Club girls and boys swam
to a decisive victory against
Danville on Saturday, Jan. 12.
The following swimmers
placed in their events:
GIRLS
8 & UNDER
25 Free - Gabriella Spaciano,
first; Morgan Sakulich, second
50 Free - Jordan Bond, first
25 Fly - Jordan Bond, first;
Victoria Spaciano, third
25 Back - Gabriella Spacia-
no, first; Cara Mia Cameron,
third
25 Breast - Brook Martin,
first
10 & UNDER
100 IM - Emma Thomas,
first; Jordan Stefanowicz, sec-
ond
50 Free - Sydney Bittner,
first; Lauren Hurst, third
50 Fly - Sydney Bittner, first;
Kaitlyn VanEtten, second
50 Back - Melissa Leonard,
first; Madelyn Stuart, third
50 Breast - Kaitlyn VanEtten,
first; Jordan Stefanowicz, sec-
ond
100 Free - Melissa Leonard,
first; Madelyn Stuart, third
12 & UNDER
100 IM - Ava Baur, first; Pey-
ton Ross, second
50 Free - Ava Baur, first; Me-
linda Ratchford, second
50 Fly - Annalise Cheshire,
first; Jordyn Miller, second
50 Back - Abby Zolner, first;
Hunter Kline, second
50 Breast - Holly Holthaus,
first; Lindsey Jorda, second
100 Free - Abigail Bartuska,
first; Emily Burgit, second
200 Free - Hunter Kline,
first; Julia Sabol, second
14 & UNDER
50 Free - Abby Zolner, first;
Madison Hurst, second
100 Fly - Madison Hurst,
first
100 Free - Jordyn Miller,
first; Hannah Thomas, second
100 Back - Annalise Chesh-
ire, first; Peyton Ross, second
100 Breast - Madison Feder-
wins big
ici, first; Jessica Ravert, second
200 IM - Madison Federici,
first; Taylor Cercone, second
BOYS
8 & UNDER
25 Free - Gary Weaver, sec-
ond; Richard DeLuna, third
25 Fly - Jakob Baur, second;
Tanner Manzoni, third
50 Free - Thomas Doran,
first; Tanner Manzoni, third
25 Back - Gary Weaver, first;
Stephen Brdaric, third
25 Breast - Aidan Chapple,
second; Ben Ditty, third
10 & UNDER
50 Free - Shane Szczecinski,
first; John Andrews, third
50 Fly - Bryce Burgit, sec-
ond; Trent Szczecinski, third
100 Free - Shane Szczecinski,
second; John Andrews, third
50 Breast - Logan Stam-
baugh, second; Bryce Burgit,
third
50 Back - Trent Szczecinski,
first; Aiden Peterkin, second
100 IM - Thomas Doran, sec-
ond; Logan Stambaugh, third
12 & UNDER
100 IM - Donovan McCall,
first; Matthew Duffy, third
50 Free - Garrett Pall, first;
Matthew Duffy, third
50 Fly - Donovan McCall,
first; Samuel Zondlo, third
100 Free - Mikail Krochta,
first
50 Back - Garrett Pall, first;
Mikail Krochta, second
50 Breast - Evan Sabecky,
second; Jack Costello, third
200 Free - Tyler Christian,
first; Evan Sabecky, second
14 & UNDER
200 Free - Tony Caravaggio,
first
50 Free - Thomas Manzoni,
first
200 IM - Tyler Manzoni, first
100 Fly - Andrew Herrick,
second
100 Free - Thomas Manzoni,
first; Tony Caravaggio, second
100 Back - Andrew Herrick,
first
100 Breast - Tyler Manzoni,