Blog Archives - Eight & 322/Eight & 27

Area swimmers compete this weekend in District 10

2/29/2024

Below are photos from this season swim meets in Franklin, Titusville and Oil City Swimmers from the three schools are headed to The Spire in Ohio to compete in the District 10 Cham[ionships this weekend. Good luck. Several are looking to have quality swims to make it to the state tournament next week.

They battled hard all season

2/28/2024

Down 23-39 after three quarters, the Rocky Grove girls decided to make the most of the last eight minutes of their season and give Jamestown a fight to the end Wednesday night at Sharon High School.

“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish… go finish,” Brad Clayton told his scrappy squad of basketball players. “And they did everything they could to finish.”

The Orioles came off the bench ready to fight and went on a 10-point run. Rae Montgomery started things off with a quick two points to open the final stanza of play.

Lydia Kennedy added one from the line, then eight seconds later Montgomery hit for another two.

Kennedy connected for two of her own before Montgomery battled through for another two.

Ainsely Anderson contributed one from the line.

The gap was shrunk to 33-39.

Unfortunately for the Orioles, the Muskies were just too much to reel in as they adjusted their play and forced Rocky Grove to foul on defense to preserve time on the clock.

Adding to the difficulty, with less than two minutes left in play, Montgomery and Emily Rice each fouled out 10 seconds of each other.

Down 35-49 and without their senior stars, the Orioles continued to play hard with Kennedy putting in the game’s last points with 25 seconds to go.

“That’s who they are…Emily and Rae left it all out there. That’s them battling,” Clayton said of his team after the tough 37-49 loss in the 1A District 10 playoffs.

The team’s goal at the start of the season was to win six games. They did that plus one.

“I’m so proud of them. They are in a tough region,” Clayton said of the 2024 season, which was filled mainly with schools in
class AA.

On Wednesday, the Orioles had to play without senior Paige Cresswell and her younger sister Zoe Cresswell, who were both injured during different games earlier in the season.

Montgomery finished her career with one more game as the team’s high scorer – recording 11 points on the night. Fellow senior Rice had 7 points, including a three-pointer.

“They are outstanding seniors (and) great kids,” Clayton said of Montgomery, Rice, and Paige Cresswell. "They will be missed."

Underclassmen Kennedy, Anderson and Grasen Reyburn added 11, seven and two points to the Rocky Grove effort and, perhaps more importantly, gained experience from their first playoff game.

“We are hoping to build on this (experience),” Clayton said of the future.

Special thank you to Copley Notary for their support of Eight & 322 and Rocky Grove girls basketball this year. great things are happening in the future of Oriole athletics..

Anderson's hot hand propels Orioles to 60-51 win over Cards

2/27/2024

Rocky Grove's Landen Carter drove the lane in the early seconds of the second half to tie up the game with Cochranton who took a two point lead into the half.

He was fouled.

The Orioles took the lead after Carter's "and one" free throw and never gave it up again. Seconds later, almost to show that all the kinks the Orioles had in the first half were worked out, Carter snagged a tough rebound and took it coast-to-coast for another bucket.

Then Schiffer Anderson got a bucket and a foul to increase the lead. Josh Stevenson got a terrific steal and fed Carter, who again took it the length of the court for a layup.

Anderson got red hot, scoring another bucket then another and another.

The Orioles were cooking with gas, outscoring the Cardinals 21 to six in the third frame. It took the Cardinals nearly five minutes to score their first basket of the second half.

Rocky Grove's defense tightened, holding Cochranton's Walker Carroll to just three in the third. To put that in perspective, Carroll had 32 points on the night, 15 in the fourth quarter as the red birds tried to come back.

Despite Cochranton's last-minute efforts to slow the clock by sending the Orioles to the foul line over and over, Rocky Grove hung on to win 60-51 Tuesday night in Oil City.

Anderson led the Orioles with 24 points, including five from beyond the arc. Carter pumped in 13 and Noah Baughman added 11. Aiden Focht had a good night with seven while Jamison Hughes and Connor Ritchey combined for five.

Rocky Grove will have a tough foe on Friday when they take on Farrell at a site and time to be determined. Farrell crushed the Orioles twice this season already.

Regardless of the outcome, both teams will advance in the 1A division of the PIAA State Tournament beginning a week from Friday.

The Rocky Grove girls will be in action tonight (February 28) at 7:30 p.m. at Sharon High School as they take on the Jamestown Muskies.

Knights explode in second half for 69-43 victory in D10 semis

2/27/2024

Well, that was a little sloppy. Not something typically said about the Franklin Knights basketball team.

But Tuesday night in the House of Hustle, it seemed to be a reoccurring theme.

Aggressive defense by Mercyhurst Prep held the Knights to just 13 points in the first quarter and only 10 in the second.

Franklin struggled to hit shots inside the paint, was stymied by the full-court press at times, failed to convert offensive rebounds into baskets and found themselves in foul trouble.

Heading into the locker room at the half, The Knights had only a five-point lead at 23-18.

Then they rested, regouped and found their groove.

Jalen Wood got things started in the second half with five points in a little more than a minute.

Damon Curry, who was held scoreless in the first half, followed suit with a three-pointer of his own.

Just like that, the Knights were in control of the game.

Franklin's defense held the Lakers in check, allowing only a few foul shots for the first seven minutes of the half. Meanwhile, the Knights shared the wealth among teammates as all five starters scored as they racked up 31 points in eight minutes.

By the close of the third, they had a commanding 54-25 lead. Within 30 seconds of the fourth, the running clock was in play and the two teams had settled into a rhythm of trading baskets. The Lakers were never able to close the gap to lower than 25 points down the stretch.

With reserves out of the court for the final two minutes, Franklin (20-4) walked away with a 69-43 victory and the opportunity to meet Girard (22-2) in the District 10 3A Championship Friday night. The time and location have not been announced.

Wood ended the night with a game-high 28 points. Curry and Dreyden Payne had 11 apiece. Cole Buckley contributed eight. Damarco Payne had six, Gavin Eakin had three and Will Findlan had two.

Below are more photos from Franklin's win Tuesday night in Oil City.

PHOTOS: Cochranton beats Lakeview in OT

2/26/2024

Tough end to a good season

2/26/2024

With the score tied and the clock winding down in the low-scoring game, Franklin's Estella Adams was trying to get the ball across half-court when suddenly double-teamed by a pair of aggressive Eagles. As she was attempting to thread the needle between the two Conneaut defenders, Courtney Perry and Debella Durbin, the ball was stripped away and Perry took it to the hoop for the lead.

Adams again, as the consulate team leader, took the ball the length of the court and was tripped up sending the ball into a pile. After a bit of mayhem, a jump ball was called.

The possession arrow pointed toward Franklin. With only a couple seconds left, Franklin had an inbound play with a chance to tie or win. Franklin's 6'-3" center Katie Boal was positioned under the basket but tightly guarded. Instead of lofting a pass up high to her, she headed toward the foul line for the pass. It was contested and before she or Adams could gain control of the ball again time ran on the game, and the Knight's season.

Conneaut 29, Franklin 27.

The Franklin girls had a pretty solid season, finishing at 14-9.

The starters all contributed with more than 100 points each on the season. Boal led the way with over 200.

Going into the playoffs they knew they would be up against a tough Conneaut squad that beaten them twice earlier in the season.

The Eagles were 16-7.

Franklin knew they would have to find a way to keep Conneaut's scoring down and control the ball.

And they did both of those things well.

Holding Conneaut to just 29 points was an accomplishment. It was the lowest score all season for Conneaut. Unfortunately for Franklin, they could only muster 27 of their own despite holding the lead throughout the contest.

Conneaut's patience paid off in the end and they will continue their quest for a District 10 crown. They will face Fairview Wednesday at the Haggerty Center in Erie. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m.

More game photos below.

Two Knights and seven Rockets medal at D10 tournament

2/25/2024

Franklin's Cael Dailey is back at the regional tournament after finishing second in the 121 bracket. The Rocky Grove senior went 3-1 on the weekend and improved to 24-6 on the season. Dailey went up against Reynold's Louie Gill in the championship match. Gill, who is 44-5 on the season, pinned Dailey in 4:00 to take the title.

The second-place medal means a return trip to regionals for Dailey, who finished third at the tournament in the 106 bracket in 2022.

Teammate Gary Kiselka also qualified for regionals after placing sixth in the 215 bracket. Kiselka was 3-3 on the weekend and is 30-10 on the season. It is the sophomore's first time qualifying for the tournament.

Senior Kaleb Brunst led the Titusville contingent with a fourth-place finish in the 189 bracket at the District 10 championships Friday and Saturday in Sharon. He is one of seven Rockets to earn a spot in the upcoming Northwest Regional competition.

Brunst was 4-2 on the weekend and came into the tournament as the third seed out of Section 1. He recorded a pin and three decisions and a loss by decision before falling to Colton Tupper of Reynolds third-place match. He moves to 35-11 on his final season with Titusville.

The Rockets also had three fifth-place finishers - freshman Parker Miller at 127, and seniors Nate Stearns at 133 and Landen Wolfkiel at 152.

Miller had a busy tournament, going 4-2. He finished the weekend with a 5-1 decision over Ebin Everett of Sharon.

Stearns, who came into the tournament as the second seed out of Section 1, was 3-2 on the weekend. He recorded an 8-5 decision over Josh Perrino of Greenville in the fifth-place match.

Wolfkiel, Titusville's only first seed entering the tournament, won his final match against Cole Kellogg of Eisenhower by forfeit. He was 2-2 on the weekend.

Also earning medals for Titusville were Sawyer Wolfkiel, seventh, 114; Gavin Donaldson, eighth, 160; and
Kameron Mong, eighth, 172.

Below are more photos captured from the weekend.

Cranberry qualifies six for Northwest Regional

2/24/2024

Aiden Thompson and Dalton Wenner take titles

And Aiden Thompson makes it three. For the third year in a row, Cranberry has the top wrestler in the 107 weight bracket of the District 9 championships. Thompson followed in the footsteps of teammates Dalton Wenner and Elijah Brosius, who were the District champs in the lightest weight division in 2023 and 2022 respectively.
Thompson earned his medal by defeating Michael Copello of Ridgway 8-6 with a takedown in sudden victory overtime. He advanced to the finals after pinning Austin Gilliland of Curwensville in 5:50. The freshman is now 27-8 on the season after going 4-0 in the tournament.

Thompson was the first of six Berries to qualify for next week's Northwest Regional tournament in Sharon.

Wenner walked away with his second District 9 championship in as many years, this year in the 114 bracket. He recorded a 10-4 decision over Nathan Stager of Ridgway in the finals after pinning Dalton Dakota Shugarts of Clearfield in 5:06 during the semis round. Wenner is 33-4 on the season after going 3-0 in the tournament.

Brosius was Cranberry's other wrestler to make it to the parade of champions. He faced a tough opponent in three-time District 9 winner Weston Pisarchick of Brockway. Brosius dropped a heartbreaker 4-3 to Pisarchick and had to settle for second place at 127. Brosius beat Aiden Beimel of St. Mary's 5-1 in the semifinals. He moves to 33-9 on the season and will be on the hunt for his 100th career victory in Sharon.

Three other Berries will also move on to next weekend's competition. Alex McLaughlin took the last podium spot at 133 after earning a 16-1 technical fall over Chase Kyler of Sheffield in the consolation semifinals and dropping a 5-1 decision to Colton Ross of Brockway in the third-place match. He is now 18-13 on the season.

Dane Wenner, bounced back from an upset pin by Rocco Allegretto of Johnsonburg in the championship semifinals to end the tournament winning two straight and capturing a third-place medal in the 139 bracket. The Cranberry junior pinned Anthony Ceriani of Brookville in 2:26 in the consolation semifinals and recorded an 11-3 major decision over Colton Bumbarger of Clearfield in the third-place match. He moves to 31-10 on the season.

Senior Devyn Fleeger was Cranberry's final medalist on the day. Fleeger had a last-second 7-6 loss to Avery Bittler, Johnsonburg in the championship semifinals, but also closed the day with a pair of wins. Fleeger earned a 6-1 decision over Burke Fleming of Brookville in the consolation semis and pinned Dylan Bash, Brockway in 1:25 in the medal round. He is now 33-9.

Danny Delong also made it into Saturday's action, finishing fifth in the 145 bracket. He closed his 19-11 season by pinning Tucker Nystrom of Kane in 3:36.

PennWest - Clarion hosted the two-day championships. The regional championships will kick off next Friday afternoon at Sharon High School with a trip Hershey on the line.

See more photographs of Cranberry wrestlers at the District 9 Championships below.

Franklin rolls over Seneca in playoff opener

2/23/2024

As quickly as action started in the second half of the Franklin versus Seneca game, it was stopped. The scoreboard, which had previously shown the Knights held a commanding lead, was dark.

For about five minutes, there was no action at the House of Hustle Friday night. It was the longest stretch the Knights went without scoring a basket as they cruised to a 92-43 victory over the Bobcats in the opening round of the District 10 playoffs.

To say Franklin was on fire would be putting it mildly.

Three-pointers were falling like layups.
They lept out to a 24-3 lead largely on four Damarco Payne three-pointers.

Jalen Wood and Damon Curry also hit a three.

Franklin’s defense was relentless barely allowing Seneca a shot. When they did get one off, it was altered by hands in the face then Franklin crashed the boards getting nearly all the rebounds.

In the first quarter, the Knights hit seven threes, had six points on fast break steals and two points on a Cole Buckley offensive rebound putback before his feet touched back to the floor.

They took a 20-point lead into the second quarter.

When halftime rolled around Franklin was up by 43 as three Knights were in double digits.

Damarco Payne was leading the way with 20 of the Knights' 58 first-half points.

The running clock was put into effect, other than the brief power outage, the rest of the way.

Ten Knights scored on the night. Damarco Payne ended up with 26. Curry added 17. Wood had 16 and Buckley 15. Gavin Eakin dropped in six. Ethan and Alex Umbenhauer each had three. Dreyden Payne, Will Findlay and James Wilford each with a bucket.

On the night, Franklin dropped 16 threes and was 7-9 from the line.

The hope of a Route 8 rivalry district final was dashed when up the road in Meadville, Oil City was ousted in a 40 to 33 loss to Fairview. Fairview will take on Girard.

Franklin will play Tuesday against Mercyhurst Prep who beat North East 74-58.

District 9 and 10 tournament preview

2/20/2024

The District 9 and 10 tournaments start Friday at Clarion University and Sharon High School respectively. While looking at the brackets, it was realized that photos from the Cranberry versus Franklin match were never posted or shared.

So here are the pictures from that match earlier this month along with information on the first round matches for Cranberry, Franklin and Titusville.

Cranberry has one top- and three second-seeded wrestlers in the District 9 tournament.
Dalton Wenner (31-4) is the team's top seed in the 114 bracket. He will wrestle Gage Singer (7-10) of Johnsonburg in the quarterfinals.
The Berries second-seeds are Elijah Brosius (31-8), who will wrestle Antonio Thornton (21-13) of Brookville in the 127 quarterfinals; Dane Wenner (28-9), who will wrestle Christian Evens (10-6) of Sheffield in the 139 quarterfinals; and Devyn Fleeger (30-8), who will wrestle the winner between Peyton Stiles (17-14) of Port Allegany and Gavin Kilpeck (10-15) of Ridgway in the 152 quarterfinals.

Other wrestlers representing the Berries in the tournament and their opening matchups include:
107 - Aiden Thompson (23-8) versus Cody Heller (4-6) of Central Clarion.
121 - Bradley Smith (3-12) versus Andrew Coriaty (21-11) of Oswayo Valley.
133 - Alex McLaughlin (15-11) versus Mason Avenali (8-20) of Kane.
145 - Daniel DeLong (15-9) versus Robert Ruffing (2-9) of Johnsonburg.
160 - Jack Nuhfer (5-15) versus
Reece Bechakas (32-3) of Kane.
172 - Jaden Smalley (3-8) versus Carter Freeland (10-8) of Clearfield.
285 - Henry Milford (16-10) versus Nick Bailor (15-15) of Clearfield.

Four members of the Franklin Knights wrestling squad advanced to the District 10 tournament.

Cael Dailey (21-5) is the highest seed for the Knights. The Rocky Grove senior placed second in the 121 bracket of the Section 2 tournament. He will start off the District 10 competition with a match against Griffin Williams (16-13) of Eisenhower.

Ethan Hart (15-12) earned a spot in the 160 bracket of the district tournament. He will wrestle Gavin Zillman (17-14) of Harbor Creek.

Drew Kockler (18-14) will face off against Titusville's Kameron Mong (21-14) in the opening round of the 172 bracket.

Gary Kiselka (27-7) finished second at the section competition. He will wrestle JJ Darr (12-17) of Eisenhower in the 215 bracket.

Titusville qualified 10 wrestlers for the District 10 tournament.

Landen Wolfkiel won first place in the Section 1 152 bracket on February 17 and will go into the District 10 2A tournament as Titusville's only top seed. Wolfkiel (32-8) earned a bye in the first round of the District 10 competition. The Rockets senior will go directly to the quarterfinals where he will wrestle the winner between Preston Gorton (24-10) of Cambridge Springs and Lamech Albers (25-16) of Corry.

Sawyer Wolfkiel (30-9) is the fifth seed in the 114 bracket. He will open the tournament with a bout against Rowan Feikles (16-10) of Cambridge Springs.

Parker Miller (21-15), who finished second in sections, will meet Justin Perrino (12-13) of Greenville in the opening round of the 127 bracket.

Senior Nate Stearns (29-9), another second-place finisher at Section 1, will wrestle Shane Yeager (14-15) of Commodore Perry in the 133 bracket.

Coleman Huck (15-21) is set to wrestle Mequan Maxwell (21-9) of Sharon in the opening round of the 139 bracket.

Gavin Donaldson (28-9) will open the 160-bracket competition with a match against Jon Dailey (12-16) of Cambridge Springs.

Kameron Mong (21-14) will face off against Franklin's Drew Kockler (18-14) in the opening round of the 172 bracket.

Kaleb Brunst (31-9) will wrestle Aaron Shartle (14-16) of Saegertown in the 189 bracket.

Burke Hancock (13-13) will represent Titusville in the 215 bracket and opens the competition with a match against Max Hernandez (27-8) of Sharpsville.

Bryce Watkins (14-14) rounds out the Rockets headed to the D10 tournament. He will Kyle Suhrie (22-15) of Mercer in the opening round of the 285 bracket.