A total of 22 former Clearfield Area High School and Curwensville Area High School athletes are listed on rosters of college teams in five sports for the fall season that gets under way this weekend.
The breakdown shows 13 playing football, four competing in women’s soccer, three in men’s golf, two in baseball and one in women’s volleyball.
Anyone aware of an athlete not listed below is asked to email sports@gantnews.com.
FOOTBALL
PITTSBURGH — Redshirt sophomore Erik Sellers (Clearfield) will be Pitt’s No. 2 fullback for Saturday’s opener against Youngstown State at Heinz Field.
The 6-1, 235-pounder, who began his career at linebacker as a freshman walk-on, will back up redshirt senior Colton Lively, named the starter after incumbent George Aston was sidelined by a leg injury.
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ORLANDO, Fla. — After transferring from Boston College last year, redshirt junior Christian Lezzer (Clearfield) is a member of the linebacker corps for Central Florida, which will host Florida International Thursday night in a 6 p.m. lidlifter that will be televised by the CBS Sports Network.
The 6-0, 219-pounder played eight games on defense and special teams as a true freshman for Boston College with one tackle, a nine-yard sack against Southern California, and one assist and had one assist in two games in 2015 before concussions put him on the sidelines.
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KALAMAXOO, Mich. — Freshman Ryan Lezzer (Clearfield) is a 5-11, 190-pound wide receiver for Western Michigan, which goes on the road Saturday to challenge Southern Cal, ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 Poll.
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ERIE — Freshman Seth Caldwell (Clearfield) is a 5-7, 170-pound defensive back for Mercyhurst.
The Lakers open at home against Hillsdale (Mich.) Saturday.
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CLARION — Freshman Richard Massimino (Clearfield) is a 6-1, 270-pound offensive lineman for the Clarion Golden Eagles, who go south Thursday for their opener against Tennessee-Martin.
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LOCK HAVEN — Freshman Matt Collins (Clearfield) is a 6-1, 215-pound linebacker for the Lock Haven Bald Eagles, who travel to Loretto Saturday for their opener against St. Francis.
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BEAVER FALLS — Senior safety Austin Jacobson (Curwensville) will be seeking his second letter with the Geneva Golden Tornadoes after making 41 tackles and intercepting one pass last season.
The 6-0, 195-pounder was the starter in nine of Geneva’s 10 games, logging 25 solo stops, 3½ tackles for losses of four yards and breaking up three passes.
He played in one game as a freshman.
The Golden Tornadoes welcome Marietta (Ohio) in their opener Saturday night.
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GREENVILLE — Junior linebacker Dusty Maines (Clearfield) begins his third season on the Thiel defense when the Tomcats host Allegheny Thursday night.
He played four games with one start as a freshman and six games before an injury ended his sophomore campaign prematurely.
Maines, a 5-9, 180-pounder, has recorded 13 tackles, including one for a seven-yard loss.
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HUNTINGDON — Senior offensive lineman Jon Janocko (Houtzdale/Clearfield Area H.S.) is a returning starter for Juniata.
The 6-3, 270-pounder started nine games at left guard last fall after playing in eight games as a freshman and sophomore.
The Eagles will open at home against Grove City Saturday.
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WILLIAMSPORT — Junior center Brad Stubbs (Clearfield/Curwensville Area H.S.) and junior linebacker Nick Kovalick (Clearfield) are returning starters while sophomore Nate Lash (Clearfield) is in the defensive line mix for Lycoming.
Stubbs was an All-Middle Atlantic Conference Second Team selection last year after starting all 10 games on a unit that averaged 333.2 yards of total offense.
The 6-2, 290-pounder is the lone returning starter on the offensive line.
He made five starts at offensive tackle in seven games two years ago.
Kovalick, a 5-11, 230-pounder, chalked up 28 tackles, 19 of them solo, in five starts during an injury-plagued sophomore season. He had nine tackles, including 1½ behind the line of scrimmage, and a forced fumble against Widener.
As a freshman, Kovalick appeared in six games, with three starts, and registered seven tackles.
The 6-2, 250-pound Lash did not get any playing time in his rookie season for the Warriors.
Lycoming makes the short trip to Selinsgrove Saturday to meet Susquehanna.
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WORCESTER, Mass. — Junior Spencer Herrington (Clearfield) is one of two placekicker/punter specialists for Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
The 5-11, 185-pounder average 32.3 yards for six punts in his lone game as a freshman and made his lone extra point attempt in four games last year.
The Engineers open at home against Ana Maria Friday night.
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MEN’S GOLF
GREENVILLE — Senior Jason Thorp (Curwensville) is one of three Thiel Tomcats tabbed as 2017-18 Presidents’ Athletic Conference golfers to watch after earning all-conference honors the last two seasons.
He landed on the first team as a sophomore with an aggregate 305 total for the 36-hole fall and spring championship tourneys that was good for fourth place and came back to make the second team with an eighth-place 308 score last season.
Thorp won the 2014 Penn State Behrend Invitational with a 73 as a freshman and the Penn State DuBois Invitational with a career-low 69 last fall.
The Tomcats’ first outing will be at the Pitt-Bradford Invitational Saturday.
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BRADFORD — Senior Brett Gardner (Curwensville) is a three-year letterman on the Pitt-Bradford team that launches its season with a home invitational at the Pine Acres Country Club Saturday.
Gardner was named to the All-AMCC Second Team as a sophomore and the All-AMCC Third Team last year when he jumped 11 spots to fourth place on the second day of the conference championships.
His low scores were 78s in last two Pitt-Bradford Invitationals and the 2016 AMCC Championships.
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DUBOIS — Sophomore Brandon Orsich (Clearfield) and his Penn State DuBois teammates will begin the season with a Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference match at the Penn State White Course Sept. 7.
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WOMEN’S SOCCER
CLARION — Senior Carlee Freeberg (Clearfield) will be concentrating on defense for Clarion after three seasons of seeing action at both that position and as a midfielder.
In 49 games, the three-year letterwinner has made 32 starts, including 18 last year.
She has recorded one assist and nine shots, two on goal.
The Golden Eagles will host Gannon Thursday and travel to Lock Haven Saturday in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference action.
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ERIE — Senior McKenna Aleksivich (Clearfield) and junior Tessa Munshower (Clearfield) are midfielders for the Penn State Behrend team that will be seeking a seventh consecutive Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference title this fall.
Aleksivich has appeared in 41 games with two starts during her three-year career. She has scored four goals and launched 14 shots, 10 on goal.
Munshower sports two goals and three assists in 29 games the last two seasons. Seven of her 21 shots have been on goal.
The Lions will take on Ithaca Friday and Baldwin Wallace Saturday in their own Herb Lauffer Memorial Tournament.
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HARRISBURG — Sophomore Raquel Grice (Clearfield) will be out to build on a solid rookie season for Penn State Harrisburg, which hosts Delaware Valley Friday and visits Lancaster Bible Saturday.
After missing almost half of the 2016 season because of an injury, Grice wound up the Lions’ No. 3 scorer with two goals, on a game winner, and two assists for six points in nine games, including six starts. She got off 11 shots, with seven on goal.
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WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
DUBOIS — Sophomore Lydia Opalisky (Curwensville) will be a defensive specialist and an opposite hitter for Penn State DuBois.
She played seven sets in five matches last year and registered four digs.
The Lions open at home Sept. 9 against Kent State-Tuscarawas and Penn Highlands.
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BASEBALL
DUBOIS — Sophomore pitcher Brandon Orsich (Clearfield) and freshman outfielder Thayne Morgan (Clearfield) are on the Penn State DuBois team that is booked for two fall doubleheaders, Sept. 23 at Pitt Bradford and Sept. 30 at Westmoreland Community College.
Orsich was 2-2 with a 5.54 earned run average in 12 games last season. He made four starts with one complete game.
In 26 innings, he struck out 12, walked three and hit two batters while allowing 30 hits and 24 runs, 16 earned.
