With the NFL finished up, hockey in the ‘dog days’ of February, and pitchers and catchers only now reporting to spring training, it seems like a good time to turn the Eye a bit closer to home. This week we’ll take our first look at local sports – specifically the wrestling, swimming, and basketball teams at Clearfield High. We’ll discuss how each team has done, look at some individual standouts, and also get the coaches’ take on their squads. Ladies first, so we’ll start with girls’ basketball.
Head Coach Joey Castagnolo’s Lady Bisons got off to a slow start, with a loss to Brookville dropping their record to 4-8 January 19. Since then the team has been on a 7-2 tear, upping their record to 11-10 and entering the District IX playoffs as the #2 seed. Coach Castagnolo says the talent was always there, the key to the turnaround was mental: “Confidence has been the biggest hurdle for us. Early on we lost a lot of close games by not taking care of the ball in the 4th quarter. Now, the girls are taking care of the ball, we have picked up a lot of close wins, and the girls expect to win every night.”
The Lady Bisons feature a balanced attack. The team averages about 46 points per game, but no player averages more than 10 points per game. “We rotate seven players, and on any given night any of them could be our leading scorer,” said Castagnolo. Seniors Annie Janocko and Sarah Kovalick have been key starters. “We’ve gotten great senior leadership from Annie and Sarah. They’ve led us on our late-season surge,” Castagnolo said. Coach Joey C. pointed to point guard Gwenn Porter as the most improved player, saying “Gwenn has been a tremendous surprise. I knew she could play point, but I didn’t realize she would be able to handle the position so well – she’s so much more mature this season and makes good decisions with the ball.”
After their regular-season finale Friday night at Ridgway, the Lady Bisons will host the Punxsy Chucks in a rubber-match semifinal – the teams split the season series 1-1. The winner advances to the D-9 final against St. Mary’s, a team Clearfield played close twice. The semifinal will be either 2/24 or 2/25.
Turning our attention to swimming, again we’ll start with the girls – as they have every year, the girls have locked up a winning record, standing at 6-4 entering Friday’s regular season finale at Bradford. The team has been involved in several very close meets, and Head Coach Jackie Morrison says that depth is a factor for the girls’ squad: “We have a few really strong girls, but we lack experience behind them. That’s led to a lot of close matches – in St. Mary’s Monday we won 9 of 12 events, but that lack of experience meant we only won by 10 points.”
The senior standouts for the lady swimmers are Marisa Howell and Branda Smeltzer. “Marisa and Branda have been top swimmers for us the last few years, and their leadership really kept us winning this season – I can’t say enough about what they’ve meant to the program,” said Morrison. A more recent addition to the standout list has been junior Brandie Centi, who has been dominant in the 50 free. “Brandie has really come on since the Bradford meet in January. She seemed to get her confidence then and has really taken off and become a top perfomer for us,” said Morrison.
Coach Morrison cited Candise Day as the most improved swimmer for the girls’ squad. “I pulled Candise out of swim class in the fall of ’07, and in that short time she’s now qualified for regionals. She has a real passion for the sport, and is a great teammate. Best of all, she’s still developing and learning.” Morrison also mentioned two up-and-coming freshmen, Juliana Mellgard and Clairisse Peterson, as underclassmen to watch in the future.
On the boys’ side of the pool, the team has had a fantastic season, 9-1 pending their action with Bradford Friday. As with the girls, the team features two senior top guns in Shay Flanagan and Mark Krchnak. “Mark and Shay are awesome – up there in the top 10-20 in the state in my opinion,” said Morrison. The difference for the boys has been a deeper, more experienced supporting cast. “Having the depth on the boys’ side really helps with the relays and getting those team points,” Morrison said.
The coach pointed to sophomore Connor Shirey as the biggest improver this season for the boys. “Connor only has 1 year of experience but he already swims at an upperclass level…great work ethic, so versatile, I can’t shuffle the lineup without him.”
Coach Morrison summed up the season by talking about the team goals. “Our goals are the same every year – winning record, win the D9 league title, win a regional title, and send as many swimmers as possible to states. Both teams are on track to meet those goals, so it’s been a successful season.”
Both teams end their regular season Friday. Districts commence 2/19 and 2/20 here at Clearfield, with the regional meet at Penn State the following weekend.
Now on to the most-improved team this season, Head Coach Forrest Campman’s boys’ basketball team. The Bisons have parlayed depth, balance, and a tenacious trapping defense into a 19-1 record. The team has clinched the D9 league title and the #1 seed in the upcoming D9 playoffs. Along the way, Clearfield avenged their only loss, beating Elk County Catholic on the road 64-56. Coach Campman listed the three biggest wins of the year as three big road victories against Bradford, St. Mary’s and the aforementioned Elk County game. “Many ECC people said that was one of the best games ever in that gym.”
The squad has well-defined roles, said Coach Campman. “Matt Shiner, Jarrin Campman, and Parker Herrington are expected to score. Cruise Kerr and Chad Zurat rebound, and when the defenses focus too much on our top three scorers we need Trey Campman and Jeremy Priester to score as well. I also have to point out so called ‘unsung’ players like seniors Tyler Wilson and Nick Redden. Tyler only plays 6-8 minutes per game but he provides tremendous energy. Nick doesn’t see much time, but he is our emotional leader. You cannot put his value into words.”
Coach Campman also pointed out the tremendous energy at home games. “The student section is our 6th man. That section represents players of all sports, boys and girls, and regular students who take great pride in CHS.”
Finally, Coach Campman commented on the support he and his team have received. “I need single out my varsity assistant, C. Wayne Wood. He has been a basketball coach for 34 years. He brings knowledge and experience and he is a loyal friend. The help I get from the rest of the community I can’t put into words. Lastly, nothing would get accomplished without the wives of the coaches. My wife Colleen is the backbone of my program and without her love and support I would be nothing.”
The team hosts Ridgway Friday night before closing out the regular season at Altoona on 2/16. They will then host a playoff game on a date to be determined.
Last but not least, let’s take a look at the Bison wrestling team. The grapplers have also had an outstanding season, with an 18-2 overall dual meet record, 15-0 during their regular schedule (they went 2-0 at the district duals, 1-2 at state duals).
Head Coach Jeff Aveni said balance sets this team apart: “We’ve had some great wrestlers over the past decade, but every team had some obvious holes. This team has balance from top to bottom, which makes us tough to beat in dual meets.”
Four seniors have provided leadership for the squad this season: Andrew Spicer (21-13 record), Holden Lowe (32-5), Shawn Hall (23-8), and of course Sean Owen (34-0). Owen is the defending state champion, is now 126-26 in his career and has won 72 matches in a row. “What can you say about Sean Owen? He’s probably the best heavyweight in Clearfield’s history, and we’ve had some good ones,” said Aveni. “We’ve had great senior leadership all season from these guys. Everytime we needed someone to step up on this team, the seniors have come through.”
Clearfield has also had key contributions from underclassmen. Junior Kodie Lowder (27-10) and sophomores Derek Danver (31-6), Shane Peters (25-12), and Andrew Hill (15-15) have all come up with big wins for the Bisons. “I expected Derek to improve, he’s a tremendous athlete. Shane has done very well in his first varsity season at 103 pounds. I’d have to say his performance has been the biggest surprise this season,” Aveni said.
Much like the swim team, Coach Aveni’s goals are well on their way to being met: “Every year we want to have a strong dual meet season, win the district team and individual tournaments, and send as many wrestlers as possible to states. This season we should send 3-5 guys to states, which is an excellent number, and with Sean Owen we have a great shot at Clearfield’s first repeat state champion in over 40 years.”
The wrestlers are off until the district tournament at Clarion on 2/21. Regionals follow the next weekend at Altoona.
In summation, it’s been a great winter sports season for Clearfield. Every team will finish with a winning record, and every team is favored to at least make the district finals. The athletes and coaching staffs are to be congratulated for their successes.
I would remind everyone, however, that ESPECIALLY at the high school level, it is unwise to judge a team by wins and losses. Look at in-season improvement, how the sport builds the character of the student, and the interactions between the coaches and their players to judge whether the season was a success.
I’ll end with a quote from Coach Campman: “I know that my first team that was 2-22 gave as much sweat and blood as this team. I have never judged my team on wins and losses but on commitment.” A good lesson for all of us.
Dave Glass lives in Clearfield with his wife, Suzanne, and their six children. He can be reached at buggyracer@verizon.net
