BLUE DEVIL DISPATCH 1-13-2010
The winter athletic season got back into full swing last week for Greencastle-Antrim School District athletes.
WRESTLING
The Blue Devil wrestlers collected the spoils this year in a tight Mid-Penn Conference Capital Division match with East Pennsboro. After dropping the skirmish with the Panthers in 2008 by a point, G-A (2-3, 2-2 MPC-Capital) turned the tables with a 37-34 victory. It was East Penn’s first divisional loss.
Key to the win was a pin with less than two seconds left on the clock by Todd DeWalt at 189 pounds. Jordan Ladzinski (140) and Chris Kinzey (145) picked up early wins by decision and major, respectively and G-A was lifted to a 19-12 lead with decisions by Tyler Ezolt (160) and Dylan Schaeffer (171).
DeWalt was up next and worked to a 7-1 lead before securing bonus points for the Devils with a late pin. Three straight six-pointers put the match in the books. Denton Ensminger (285) notched a late first-period pin. Rusty Pine (103) won by forfeit and Jake Heuer came up big at 112 with a 5:37 pin. It was Heuer’s first win of the season.
G-A’s grapplers took a short road trip on the weekend for the Hub Cup Tournament held at North Hagerstown High School and came out with an individual champion, three runners-up and a sixth place team finish.
Ezolt went the distance to the title at 152 pounds. DeWalt (189), Schaeffer (160) and Pine (103) each collected second place and G-A scored 133.5 points as a team for sixth. Waynesboro won the tourney with 260.5 points. Ensminger showed resilience, winning four straight bouts in the consolation bracket for a third-place finish. Tanner Maloy (135) and Kinzey (145) each finished sixth. Maloy recorded two pins and Kinzey one.
In route to the title Ezolt racked up a pin and produced no doubt in the final with a 7-0 victory. DeWalt had two pins in his tourney with a 6-1 loss in the finals. Pine and Schaeffer each had a pin. Ensminger’s trip back through the bracket included four pins. Bobby McPherson (130) and Ladzinski (140) each posted a win in the tournament.
GIRLS’
BASKETBALL
The Greencastle-Antrim girls’ team saw all sides of the coin last week. It featured a satisfying win over a rival, a close loss and one that became a runaway. The effort evened the varsity record to 4-4 and 2-1 in the Mid-Penn Conference Capital Division.
First up for the week was a non-divisional trip to Middletown that the Devils could only learn from as the Raiders produced a 53-25 win. G-A committed 26 turnovers. Tache Smothers scored nine of the Devils’ 25 points and had three assists.
Things got much better that following night on the home court where rival James Buchanan was on the other bench. Defense produced some much-needed offense in the third quarter where G-A turned a six-point deficit into a 13-2 run. A second spurt of 10 straight points with about five minutes on the clock completed the turnaround. The Rockets had led by as much as eight in the first half before the Devils surged in the second half. Smothers put in 13 of her game-high 15 points in the second half. She added two steals and two assists. Jenna Crunkleton contributed nine points and three steals. Rachel Kline delivered eight points, three steals and two blocks. Katrina Wright was high on the boards with five rebounds.
Shippensburg used its 15 trips to the foul line in the fourth quarter well, sinking 11 of them toward a 46-36 victory. The Blue Devils however gave the division-leading Hounds all they could handle with an even first quarter and trailing by just four at the half. The Devils came out and produced a 12-3 third to turn the tables and be up by five at the start of the fourth quarter. But within the next couple minutes G-A had three players foul out to thin the ranks and send Ship to the line where it won the game.
Crunkleton put in 11 and Smothers 10. Alex Nicastro grabbed eight rebounds and Kline blocked three shots.
On the junior varsity circuit, G-A lost 51-28 to Middletown but came back with an exciting 46-44 overtime time over James Buchanan. Cassey Cordell sank 14 and Brooke Strait delivered a dozen. The Devils were nipped 40-38 by Shippensburg. Strait dumped in 15 and Miranda Sharp added 11.
BOYS’
BASKETBALL
After a thrilling win on the road over a rival the Blue Devil boys’ team (4-5, 2-1 MPC-Capital) tasted the one-point loss too many times.
As has happened many times in G-A/James Buchanan games, last week’s stayed tight for a good while as the first three stanzas featured five lead changes and nine tied scores. Going into the fourth quarter the Devils were down by one. G-A successfully broke JB’s pressing defense and converted it to points to the tune of a 26-15 advantage and the game. Four players hit double figures with Christian Hoover leading with 15. Nathan Pool added 13 and Eric Baymon and Dyshean Workman each put in 11. Seth Sprague added nine and touched the glass for nine boards. Baymon dished five assists.
Against non-conference St. Maria Goretti the third quarter again was big for the Devils on the home court. A 19-9 run sliced an eight-point halftime deficit. With the game now even it became a nail biter and ended on a game-changing shot at the buzzer that didn’t go the Devils’ way. Baymon was high for the Devils with 22 points and added seven rebounds. Pool added 11 points and five rebounds. Hoover contributed 10 points and five assists. Workman chipped in seven points and seven boards.
As the Devils traveled to Shippensburg for a Capital Division game there was another exciting finish. This time a last second shot fell for the Greyhounds for a 53-52 win — G-A’s second straight one-point loss. The teams played an even first quarter and traded riches in the middle two frames to set up a tight fourth. Ship didn’t take the lead until 20 seconds left in the game and were able to hold on. Hoover scored 17 points. Workman had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Baymon delivered a dozen points and seven assists.
In junior varsity action, JB won 65-60. Corey Meyers led the Devils with 14 points. Denton Cordell and Tyler Szaflarski each put in 13. G-A then put together two wins, 55-46 over Goretti and 52-38 over Ship. Against Goretti, Tyler Szaflarski scored 14 points, Meyers 13, Jacob Statler 10 and Cordell eight. In the Ship game Szaflarski led with 13.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Wrestling
The Blue Devil wrestlers sailed in a match over East Pennsboro, 78-18, taking advantage of the Panthers’ low numbers.
In addition to three victories on the mat, G-A claimed 10 bouts by forfeit to fuel the scoreboard. Wade Rider (105) and Ryan Wolf (115) each collected pins in quick order and Garrett Langston went into the second period for his fall at 130 pounds.
Picking up the forfeit points were as follows: Eugene Byers (90), Nick Silva (95), Cody Carbaugh (100), Austin Rodriguez (122), Nick Datillio (138), Jared Starliper (145), Jensen Stoner (155), Walker Kinzey (165) and Hunter Heuer (75).
The G-AMS squad now has a 3-2 dual meet record.
Girls’ Basketball
The G-AMS girls’ hoops teams got in gear following the holiday layoff.
The freshman team took a 41-30 loss on the road at Boonsboro before cutting down Shippensburg at home, 35-26. Tiffany Briggs led the Blue Devils with 10 points against Boonsboro, and Sharon Juarez and Chloe Hoover each dropped in eight. G-A wasted no time in building a big lead early against Shippensburg and made the nine-point victory stand. Hoover led the team with 15 points and Briggs inserted 11.
The eighth-grade Devils surged in the fourth quarter to dismantle James Buchanan 27-14. Up by just one going into the fourth quarter, G-A staged a 14-2 run for the win. Moriah Woods led the way with eight points and Ashlynn Schaeffer put in six. The Blue Devils also toppled Ship 27-20, this time breaking up an 11-1 tie at the half with a 9-3 third. Leading all scorers with nine was Woods.
In seventh-grade action a 10-2 start propelled the Devils to a 28-19 victory. Jane Herman led all scorers with 14 points. Herman added 10 more against Shippensburg in a 24-15 win.
Boys’ Basketball
G-A’s freshmen boys’ team had a solid week with wins over James Buchanan (51-17), St. Maria Goretti (56-34) and Shippensburg (48-32).
The Blue Devils dominated each quarter against the Rockets as eight players got into the scoring column. Gabe Fridgen led with nine points, while Holden Baker and Zach Faulkner each put in eight. “We played very good defense and rebounded well,” said head coach Jerry Englehart. “We did not allow them too many second shot opportunities. Our transition game was good. We ran the floor well.”
Baker was on fire against Goretti, sinking 20 points. Falkner added eight and Austin Scott seven.
In the Shippensburg game, G-A just got better and better, leading by two after one quarter, six at the half, 12 after three and 16 in the final run. Josh Young (13) and Faulkner (11) hit double figures for the Devils. Englehart said, “This was the most complete game we played this year. We came out with a lot of energy from the start.”
The eighth-grade Devils dropped two close games last week to JB (32-29) and to Ship (33-32). The seventh-grade team topped James Buchanan 53-20.
