This site is about the sports doings -- mainly football -- of the high schools in Venango County, Pa. Contact:
Playoffs
District 10
Class 2A Boys
​
OPENING ROUND
Tuesday's Results
1. Mercyhurst Prep vs. bye
8. Union City 88, Wilmington 65
4. Greenville vs. bye
5. Lakeview vs. bye
2. Saegertown vs. bye
7. Sharpsville 47, 10. Maplewood 24
3. ROCKY GROVE vs. bye
6. Cochranton vs. bye​
QUARTERFINALS
Friday's Games
Mercyhurst vs. Union City, 6 p.m., Mercyhurst
Greenville vs. Lakeview, 6 p.m., Farrell
Saegertown vs. Sharpsville, 6 bp.m., Meadville
ROCKY GROVE vs. Cochranton​, 7:30 p.m., Meadville
SEMIFINALS
Tuesday, Feb. 24
CHAMPIONSHIP
Friday, Feb. 27​
Top 3 advance to PIAA tourney
​
CLASS 4A GIRLS
​
OPENING ROUND
Today's Games
1. Fairview vs. bye
8. General McLane vs. 9. FRANKLIN
4. Slippery Rock vs. bye
5. OIL CITY vs. bye
2. Harbor Creek vs. bye
7. Conneaut vs. 10. Grove City, 7:30 p.m. Meadville
3. Corry vs. bye
6. Titusville vs. 11. Ft. LeBoeuf​
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday
Fairview vs. General McLane-FRANKLIN
Slippery Rock vs. OIL CITY
Harbor Creek vs. Conneaut-Grove City
Corry vs. Titusville-Ft. LeBoeuf​
SEMIFINALS
Wednesday, Feb. 25
CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, Feb. 28
CONSOLATION
Saturday, Feb. 28​
Top four teams advance to PIAA tourney
​
CLASS 4A BOYS
​
OPENING ROUND
Tuesday's Results
1. Cathedral Prep vs. bye
8. OIL CITY 77, 9. North East 69
4. Hickory 69, 13. FRANKLIN 42
5. Harbor Creek 57, 12. Ft. LeBoeuf 45
2. Sharon vs. bye
7. Girard 42, 10. Farrell 40
3. Fairview vs. bye
6. Warren 55, Grove City 43​
QUARTERFINALS
Friday's Games
Prep vs. OIL CITY, 7:30 p.m., Mercyhurst
Harbor Creek vs. Hickory, 6 p.m., Hagerty
Sharon vs. Girard, 7:30 p.m., Farrell
Fairview vs. Warren​, 7:30 p.m., Hagerty
SEMIFINALS
Tuesday, Feb. 24
CHAMPIONSHIP
Friday, Feb. 27​
5TH PLACE BRACKET
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Prep-OIL CITY loser vs. Hickory -Harbor Creek loser
Sharon-Girard loser vs. Fairview-Warren loser
Winners play Friday, Feb. 27 for fifth place
3RD and 4TH PLACE
Friday, Feb. 27​​
Top 5 places advance to PIAA tourney​​
District 9
DISTRICT 9 3A BOYS
CHAMPIONSHIP
1. CRANBERRY vs. 2. Brookville, 8 p.m., Tuesday, Clarion High School
(One team advances to the PIAA tourney. It will be determined by a sub-regional Feb. 28 against the District 10 champion at Penn West Clarion​
​
DISTRICT 8-9 2A GIRLS
QUARTERFINAL
5. Pgh. Westinghouse at 4. Moniteau, Feb. 18
SEMIFINAL
1. Karns City vs. Moniteau-Westinghouse winner, Tuesday, Union, TBA
3. Brookville vs. 2. CRANBERRY, 6 p.m., Tuesday Clarion High School
CHAMPIONSHIP
Karns City-Moniteau-Westinghouse winner vs. CRANBERRY-Brookville winner, TBA
(Two advance to PIAA tourney)
Oilers: another deficit, another erased
For at least the fifth time in the last month the Oilers have come from way down to win. This time the victim was North East and it came in the first round of the District 10 4A playoffs Tuesday at Meadville High School.
Oil City was facing not only 6-5, 1,000-point scorer Willie Shunk, but a 10-point deficit in the first half. But, as usual, made its move before the final buzzer went off -- the main foil for the Grape Pickers being freshman Isaiah Van Wormer. In a lickety-split taking maybe a minute, if that, IVW drained a three, made a layup after a steal, hit another three and then added still another bunny. When the dust cleared the 18-7 Oilers were back in the game.
Other players had their moments, too -- five scored in double figures -- but it was Nevin Stinson who began settling matters midway through the fourth quarter with an assortment of a three-pointer, a three-point play, drives and free throws.
The Oilers canned a dozen threes, perhaps due to the presence of Shunk, who neutralized the 6-7 Michael Fink down low. Fink was scoreless the first half, but finished with 10.
Easton Liederbach had 14 and VanWormer and Steven Heise added 13 apiece.
​The Oilers will play odds-on-favorite Cathedral Prep at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mercyhurst in the quarterfinals, but even if they lose, they still have a chance to finish fifth and advance to the PIAA playoffs.
Meanwhile, with his 24 points, Stinson has 495 this season -- three short of the "modern" single-season school record of 498 set in 1971 by Mike Emick. Stinson's 910 career points rank fourth on Oil City's all-time list.
Hickory ousts Knights
Fourth-seeded Hickory jumped out to a 21-4 lead en route to a 69-42 victory over Franklin. Nathan Fezell scored 11 for the Knights, who closed with a 12-11 record.
Isaiah Van Wormer
(Eric Elliott)
Oil City Girls end 7-year
famine against Franklin,
anD gain share of Region-5 title
Seniors Lydia Kennedy of Rocky Grove and Sophia Garmong of Oil City (maskless here) were among the county scoring leaders all season. (Photo by Christy Fackler)
Not only did the Oil City girls beat Franklin for the first time since 2019 on Thursday night, but they finished in a three-way tie for first place in Region 5.
The score was 44-19, and gave the Lady Oilers a share of the region title with Conneaut and Titusville at 5-3. (Titusville, two games removed from its Feb. 9 upset of Franklin, pulled off another stunner Thursday, this one over Conneaut, 51-46, to forge the gridlock.) Oil City last won the region title (outright) in 2017.
The loss was the fourth in a row for Franklin, which finished fourth in the five-team league with a 4-4 mark.
Neither Jadyn Blum nor Sophie Boal played, so that enabled Oil City to concentrate on stopping just Hailey Hanna in Franklin's three-point attack, according to what coach Ryan Justice told the newspaper. Hanna drained one from distance, giving her 43 for the season.
Seniors Halle Curry and Sydney Stevens, who hand't played all season, did see the floor on Thursday. Stevens was a starter and Curry a defensive specialist for last year's team.
Seniors Payton Liederbach and Sophia Garmong led Oil City Thursday with 12 points apiece.
Both Oil City and Franklin will take 12-10 records into the playoffs, the pairings for which will be announced Saturday.
Cranberry girls, who may not have been in the best of health, dropped a 44-25 decision to Karns City in the KSAC tournament. The 14-9 Berries will next play Brookville in the District 8-9 3A playoffs.
Elena Ishman led Cranberry's efforts against Karns City with eight points. Darien Wenner was held to four points -- zero field goals while going 4/4 from the foul line.
Rocky Grove girls ended their season with a 7-15 record after falling to Jamestown, 61-51. Lydia Kennedy again led the Orioles with 17 points, while Abigail Mawhinney and Payton Phillips added 10 each.
Orioles share Region 3 crown
Over in District 10 on Friday, while Rocky Grove beat West Middlesex, 89-51, in a non-region game, Saegertown grabbed a share of the Region 2 title with the Orioles with a 64-40 win over Maplewood.
Noah Baughman scored 21, Landen Carter 20 and Connor Ritchey 16 for the Grove, which finished the regular season with a 16-6 record. Carter also filled the stat sheet with 10 rebounds and six assists.
Baughman moved into third place behind Dylan Gravatt and Chad Sanner on the Grove's all-time scoring list. Carter is tied with Travis Perry for fourth. The Orioles play Cochranton in the first round of the 2A playoffs. Tipoff at Meadville is 7:30 p.m.
​
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On the mat, in the pool
Senior Dalton Wenner receives a banner commemorating his 150 wrestling victories Thursday during Cranberry's final dual against Central Clarion.
3 Knights 2nd at sections
Three Franklin wrestlers lost in the finals of the Section 2-AA tournament Saturday at Sharon. Seth Hollerman (107), Gary Kiselka (215) and Kaden Kiselka won in the semis. Ethan Hart and Orvis Davis took fifth at their weights. The Knights were seventh among 14 teams. Reynolds claimed the title.
Cranberry matmen lose dual meet Finale
Cranberry wrestlers registered five pins but gave up four forfeits and fell to Central Clarion, 41-36, on Thursday.
Bret Hurrelbrink, Aiden Thompson, Dalton Wenner, Alex McLaughlin and Noah Lucarelli had the pins for the Berries, who completed the dual meet season with a 6-7 record. They will next participate in the District 9/10 3A tournament, TBA.
Chloe Switer/ Christy Fackler
Franklin girls finish
undefeated in Pool
Evelynn Highfield and Dani Erdley were triple winners as Franklin trimmed Grove City, 98-56, to finish unbeaten on the season at 11-0.
The Lady Knights took two of the three relays and six individuals events -- Highfield getting two of those. Erdley, Kaylin Adamczyk, Lexi Anthony and Chloe Switzer win the others. Ellie Coyer was a double winner.
The boys (7-4) dropped their meet with the Eagles,107-62. Jacksen Clark was a double winner and Connor Johnson took the breaststroke.
Tyler Schake/Christy Fackler
Oil City swimmers sweep slippery Rock
John Lander and Martin Sharrar were four-event winners in the Oil City boys' 84-42 decision over Slippery Rock on Thursday.
The girls made it a sweep with a 106-61 romp. Madyson Kissell led a sweep of all three relays, and was a triple winner along with Ayla Halland Olive Collins .
Lander claimed the 50 free and 100 fly and swam legs on the medley and 400 free relays.
Sharrar won the 200 and breast stroke and swam on two relays. Luciano Bricca took the 100 and was a double winner along with Nathan Wilson, Tyler Schake and Noah Delp through relays.
Ayla Hall and Olive Collins were also triple winners for the girls and Abbey McCain and Abby Nuhfer were double winners.
Both team ended 5-6.
Football
Franklin finds
its man
Austin Ion was introduced as the new Franklin football coach at a school board work session on Jan. 19. He officially became Franklin's 26th paid coach at the board's Jan. 26 meeting.
Ion succeeds Matt Turk, a former Knight all-star, who resigned after six years at the helm.
Ion is a 2017 Keystone High School graduate who played football, basketball and baseball for the Panthers.
He played wide receiver at Grove City College, where he majored in accounting.
He has coached at Keystone for eight years and most recently served as jayvee coach under coach Todd Smith.
The commiittee to select a new coach at Franklin consisted of athletic director Becky Barnes, high school co-principal Tom Holoman, Central Elementary principal Joe Keenan and assistant AD Chris Romanowski.
Ion was the choice among "nine good applicants," according to Barnes.​