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Landon Baker
Cole Findlay
Carson Foster
Steven Heise
Blake Stevens
Five Oil City players were named to a District 10 all-star team released Friday by D9and10sports.com.
The Oilers were shut out of all the special awards, but Cole Findlay (DB/co-Athlete on offense), center Carson Foster and linebacker Blake Stevens were named to the first team. Steven Heise (RB/DB) ) and wide receiver Landon Baker were picked to the second team.
The Erie Times News is expected to release its version of D-10 all-stars soon.
Photos by Kelly Malek
Cranberry, Grove boys win big on road,
Grove City assaults Oilers with 13 3s
(File photo from last season)
File photo by Christy Fackler
Landen Carter, seen here against Titusville last week, had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Union City on Friday night.
Rocky Grove and Cranberry boys had no trouble with their opponents Friday night, but Oil City -- not so much. Grove City victimized the yet-to-play-at-home Oilers for 13 3-pointers in a 62-42 romp.
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Meanwhile, the Grove got a triple double from Landen Carter and hammered homestanding Union City, 73-51, while the Berries had one for the road, drubbing Redbank Valley, 72-50.
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Carter had 18 points, 11 boards and 10 assists for the Orioles. Noah Baughman led with 23 points, and Connor Ritchey (five 3-pointers) added 17. That puts Baughman at 955 points and Carter at 932 for their careers.
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The scorebook at Redbank had Cole Findlay with 24 and Blake Marchinke at 23 for Cranberry, but coach Ed McIntyre wasn't sure if that is right, and will go over the film before those totals are etched in stone.
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While Grove City was nailing three-pointers left and right, Oil City had only four players score at all. One was Nevin Stinson with 17 and another was Derrick Jones with 10.
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THURSDAY'S GIRLS GAMES -- Payton Liederbach (left) scored a career-high 33 points Thursday in Oil City's 54-43 win at Sharon. Liederbach is just four points shy of 1,000 for her career...Jadyn Blum (right) swished three free throws with .5 seconds left to give Franklin a 36-33 decision over Grove City. Earlier this season, Blum hit a put-back at the buzzer to give the Lady Knights a win over Erie. Grove City learned earlier this week that one of its stars, Maddie Osborn, is out for the season with various knee issues. (The Lady Knights have been playing all season without Halle Curry and Sydney Stevens)...Rocky Grove still looking for their first victory after four starts...​
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WRESTLING -- Franklin got pins from Seth Hollerman, Ethan Hart, Gary Kiselka and Kaden Kiselka for a rare win over Redbank Valley. Orvis Davis ad Corbin Clark added technical falls in the 40-33 victory.
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SWIMMING -- It was Splitsville in swimming Thursday night. Oil City split with Sharon, and Franklin split with Titusville. The Lady Oilers won 71-70, despite taking only two firsts, but the boys lost 97-73, despite a four-event winning effort by John Lander...and the Franklin girls prevailed, 101-67, but the boys lost, 86-60...Franklin had five four-event winners: Dani Erdley, Evelynn Highfield, Jordan Stumpf, Jacksen Clark and Parker Smith...
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Scott Moon Elected to PA. Track and Field Hall of Fame
From the Scranton Tribune
Scott Moon, a two-time PIAA 3A state javelin champion for Oil City in 1981 and 1982, was elected to the Pennsylvania High School Track and Field Hall of Fame.
He'll be inducted at next year's state meet, on May 23, at Shippensburg.
Moon's winning throw of 230-8 in the 1982 state meet broke the meet record of 230-0 set in 1969 by Ray Mushinski of Ambridge. It was the third-oldest record in the books and still ranks No. 4 all-time.
Moon was also the Athletics Congress national junior meet champion that year when he was a Track & Field News third team All-American selection.
Earlier that season, Moon led Oil City to its second straight District 10 team championship by sweeping the shot, discus and javelin, giving him six individual district titles. His throw of 218-4 in the javelin was a D-10 meet record.
Moon was a three-time District 10 champion in the javelin. His winning throw as a junior was 215-6. He also won the shot that season.
Moon was a 50-foot shot putter who approached 160 in the discus for coaches Bob Craig and Mike Mitchell at OCHS.
He was named Athlete of the Year for the Class of 1982.
Scott Moon received the Athlete of the Year award for the OCHS Class of 1982.
MATT LaVerde, Penn State's New coach, Eagles' Sirianni
were teammates on Mount Union's 2000 national champs
Turns out Matt LaVerde kept elite company during his college days when he played on a Mount Union team that won NCAA Division III national championship in 2000.
Nick Sirianni and Matt Campbell were also on that team. Sirianni is now head coach of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and Campbell was named head coach at Penn State just last weekend, leaving Iowa State for that job.
LaVerde, 6-2, 225 at the time, was a big star for the Purple Raiders who transferred from Penn State where he was a preferred walk-on after graduating from Oil City. (Both Matt and his older brother Tiger were big Penn State fans growing up.)
LaVerde played middle linebacker for Mount Union, making 81 tackles (11 TFLs) and four interceptions for the 14-0 Raiders, who beat St. John's, 10-7, on a last-second field goal in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl for the Ohio school's then fifth national title. LaVerde made 12 tackles in that game, two for losses.
A first team All-Conference defender who achieved academic honors (3.88 GPA in math), LaVerde also played on Mount Union's 1998 national championship team.
LaVerde coached the Oilers from 2008-15. (The Grove City High coach once said LaVerde knew every play in the history of football, or words to that effect.) LaVerde currently serves as Erie County Technical School director.
Campbell was a starting defensive lineman for Mount Union in 2000. Both he and LaVerde are seen on the accompanying video. LaVerde wears No. 4 and Campbell is No. 89.
Campbell was a first team All-American in 2002 after stuffing the stat sheet with 101 tackles, 25 TFLs and 13 sacks.
Sirianni was a 6-4 wide receiver who played on three national champions at Mount Union (2000-02). His best season was 2003 when he had 52 catches for 993 yards and 13 TDs.
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State champs again
Tiger LaVerde's Kirtland Hornets rule for the eighth time since 2006 in Ohio's Class VI
The Oil City High School grad is one of only three coaches in Ohio with at least eight state crowns. He also has 14 regional titles, 285 career victories and 14 undefeated teams
Other factoids:
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249 wins since 2008 (most in Ohio)
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19 conference titles
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6 state runnersup
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265-21 record at Kirtland
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285-31 overall (coached at Franklin from 2001-03)
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Highest winning percentage in Ohio history
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Fastest coach to 250 wins in Ohio
In 20 years under Tiger LaVerde, Kirtland has had:
• 134 All-Ohioan selections
• 72 1st Team All-Ohioans
• 39 2nd Team All-Ohioans
• 23 3rd Team All-Ohioans
• 50 All-Ohio special mentions
• 11 Defensive Players of the Year
• 4 Offensive Players of the Year
The 15-0 Hornets drubbed Hopewell-Loudon, 41-6, rushing for 433 yards. John Silvestro led the way with 255 and scored four TDs. Jake LaVerde added 112, finishing his career with 3,174 rushing and 3,167 passing.
Tiger LaVerde is the third coach in Ohio history to win eight or more state titles. The 1991 Oil City High graduate joins Chuck Kyle (11) and Tim Goodwin (15) on the list.
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​Photo by Paul DiCicco, Willoughby, Ohio News-Herald
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