


This site is about the sports doings of the high schools in Venango County, Pa. Contact: pennyweichel@gmail.com

FALL 2026: Let the magic begin

(Erie Times News)
The show must go on...
A late afternoon fire on Sept. 26 destroyed the clubhouse at the Country Club of Meadville, site of the District 10 golf tournament. But the blaze didn't stop the event from getting under way Monday, Sept. 29, as planned. (Food wasn't available, though.)
However, nobody locally qualified for states.
The results:
McDowell (3A) and West Middlesex (2A) repeated as girls team champions.
Cathedral Prep (2A) and Hickory were 1-2 in the boys team standings.
Meadville won its third straight 3A boys crown.
Individual champs -- (2A boys) Santino Washburn. Prep, after winning a playoff with Santino Toscano, Wilmington; 3A boys Elliot Konetsky, Meadville after winning playoff with teammate Patrick Mahoney; (2A girls) Lindsay Hoover, Wilmington; (3A girls) Bella Deaton, McDowell.
Note: The top three finishers in 3A boys are from Meadville, and how many boys are named Santino and what are the chances they'd finish in a dead heat after 18 holes
Meanwhile, the fire is under investigation.
​As the fire was just getting started, one person who happened to be on site didn't notice anything unusual, except it smelled 'like popcorn."
A fire destroyed the orginial clubhouse, an old farm house, in 1934.

Oil City wins Venango Cup
Oil City claimed the Venango Cup Set. 9 at Lucky Hills. Team members are (from left) Sawyer Harriger, Easton Liederbach, Owen James, Bryce Davis, Brady Fulmer and Mason Deets. (Photo by Kelly Malek)
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Region 4 All-Stars
First team -- (Oil City) Bryce Davis, Sr., Owen James, Jr.
Second team-- (Franklin) Nolan Parry, Jr; (Rocky Grove) Danny Briggs-McCullough, Soph.; (Oil City) Brady Fulmer, Soph.
Region champion -- Oil City

Cranberry's Wenner repeats
as District 9 golf champion
Darien Wenner, a junior, won her second straight District 9 2A golf title on Oct. 5 at Punxsutawney Country Club, shooting an 86.
Brookville's Samantha Neil was runnerup for the second straight season.
Wenner shot 95-94 in the state tournament on Oct. 19-20. She tied for 29th.

Cranberry girls won the 52nd annual Rocky Grove Invitational. Beatrice Kolesar was individual champ. The Berries also claimed the KSAC title on Oct. 22.

Oil City girls Region 7 champs -- third straight region crown.

Various volleyball milestones for Franklin girls, who are seeded third in the D-10 3A tourney.
Other Highlights
REGION/CONFERENCE TITLES
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Oil City girls -- three straight cross country
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Oil City boys -- golf (second in last three years)
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Rocky Grove boys -- two straight cross country
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Cranberry girls -- KSAC cross country
VOLLEYBALL MILESTONES
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Rocky Grove's Anna Rodgers -- 500 digs
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Rocky Grove's Jillian Cratty -- 500 assists
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Cranberry's Kennedy Stewart -- 500 digs
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Franklin is 14-3 as of Oct. 19.
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Cranberry's Avery Coe has 981 digs
CROSS COUNTRY
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Cranberry girls claimed the Big Red Invitational on Sept. 12. Beatrice Kolesar won the race in 19:12. Boys fourth. Daniel McCain finished 11th to lead the Berries.
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Cranberry senior Beatrice Kolesar won the Titusville Invitational on Sept.6. She also won the girls White race at the new PIAA course in Big Springs on Sept. 26. Her time was 19:43. Teammate Elena Ishman medaled by taking 1th. They led the Berries to third place in the team standings
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Kolesar is in the running -- no pun intended -- for MileSplits' state Runner of the Week for the week ending Oct. 2.
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Junior Darien Wenner is still a valuable contributor -- and doubles as one of the top golfers in District 9.
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Oil City's Corabel Shiley was 20th in the 2A varsity girls race on the same course. Her time was 20:34.
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Franklin's Justeyn Winner was ninth and Alayna Gahr 11th in the Big Red Invitational. on Sept. 12. Rocky Grove's Max Griffin was ninth in the boys race. Winner and Gahr were 1-2 as Franklin won the 35th annual Cardinal Invite Oct. 3 at Cochranton.
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Kolesar won the Ridgway Invitational and led the Berries to the title Oct. 3. Elena Ishamn was fifth. Junior High girls also won behind Anna Earl's second place finish. Grady Morrow third as Junior High boys placed second. Varsity boys fourth with McCain taking ninth and James Kolesar 13th.
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Shiley was fifth in the varsity girls race at McQuad and led Oil City to 13th place in the A1 division in the prestigious McQuaid Invitational Oct. 3 at Rochester, N.Y. Addison Wyant was 19th. The Oilers were seventh, led by Rilee Matalino, who was 11th. Rocky Grove was 15th in the 2A race. Max Griffin was 30th for the Orioles.
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Rocky Grove boys won the Junior High small/smallest school division.
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Beatrice Kolesar won the varsity girls race in 20:18 and led Cranberry to the team title Oct. 17 in the 52nd annual Rocky Grove Invitational.
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Oil City's Cortabel Shiley was runnerup, six seconds off the pace set by Kolesar. The Lady Oilers were second in the team standings. Other girls results: Addison Wyant, Oil City, fourth; Elena Ishman, Cranberry, fifth; Justeyn Winner, Franklin, sixth; and Alayana Gahr, Franklin, seventh.
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Rocky Grove was second in the boys race, Cranberry fourth and Oil City sixth. Top local runner was Oil City's Rilee Matalino, who was sixth. Cranberry's Daniel McCain was ninth and Rocky Grove's Max Griffin was 13th.
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Rocky Grove boys were first and Cranberry girls second in junior high races Oct. 17 at the Rocky Grove Invitational.
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Franklin 14-4 in volleyball. Lady Knights are ranked eighth in D-10 and sit third behind Prep and Fairview in 11-team Region 3 standings. Grove 5-13, Oil City 4-13. Corry ranked No. 1 in D-10.
GIRLS SOCCER/TENNIS
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Neither Franklin nor Oil City are tearing it up on the pitch or the court, but the Lady Knights did blank the Lady Oilers, 3-0 and 5-0, in soccer this season.
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And the Lady Oilers own at least two tennis victories over Franklin.
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Miah Shingledecker finished the season with 17 goals, two behind Hailey Yard on Franklin's all-time list. Shingledecker's 25 goals rank third on Franklin's all-time career list behind Yard (52) and Natalie Doty (26). Franklin was 5-12-1 this fall. Shingldecker (Oil City) and Lily Miller (West Middlesex) each had four-goal single games this season.
GIRLS GOLF
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Franklin and Rocky Grove are fielding teams for the first time.

Two straight region titles for Rocky Grove boys.


Beatrice Kolesar and Elena Ishman, Cranberry
Daniel McCain, Cranberry
ALL-STARS
VOLLEYBALL
KSAC-- none
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CROSS COUNTRY
KSAC girls
MVP -- Beatrice Kolesar, Cranberry
First team -- Kolesar, Elena Ishman, Cranberry
Second team -- Louisa Hepler, Darien Wenner, Cranberry
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KSAC boys
First team -- Daniel McCain, Cranberry
Second team -- Jamers Kolesar, Cranberry

Christy Fackler photo