Springfield elementary ice hockey Blue team beats Sun Valley

The Springfield Elementary Blue Team extended its winning streak to four games with a decisive 9-0 win against Sun Valley. The game winner came in the first period when Aidan Kertis scored off a pass from Nicky Medwid. Ronan Plummer notched an insurance goal in the second. Medwid achieved the coveted natural hat trick later in the second, an impressive accomplishment.

Tremendous offensive efforts from Justin Bush, Ryan Kertis and Adam Bauman helped seal the deal for the Cougars. With only 23 seconds left Aidan Shandley found the top shelf after a great pass from Nate Bauman. And with just 19 seconds left in the second, Zack Isetts found the back of the net for the first time this season.

Stephen Rice continues to be an offensive threat with several opportunities through out the game. Shane Knoll is another rising star showing great offensive vision and play making.

Luca Demarcantonio scored his first goal of the season in the third period from a Bauman rebound. Matthew Shandley had a great game playing both offense and defense, proving to be a versatile player.

The game closed with Aidan Shandley picking up a rebound from Aidan Smith for his second of the night.

After surviving a Sun Valley shooting gallery, Lachlan Plummer was dog piled by the entire team celebrating his first shut out of the season.

Springfield CYO basketball update

Junior Varsity
OLP 41
SFA 38
Dan Dickinson and Mike Dougherty powered for 15 and nine points, respectively, but it was not enough as the JV Bruins fell to Our Lady of Peace.
This was a close contest throughout, and SFA led 27-24 after three quarters of play. Coach Milt Hedrick commented, that he should have changed his defense in the fourth quarter, but he went on to say, "give OLP credit - they made some tough shots down the stretch."
Kevin McKnight was big defensively for SFA with six blocked shots.
This loss ended a nine-game league winning streak for the JV, whose league record now stands at 9-4, and 9 and 5 overall.
Fatima 40
SFA 33
It was a game of missed shot, rushed shots and overall missed opportunities as the JV Bruins fell to Our Lady of Fatima; although, sophomores Kyle Klosinski and Nick Cahill played exceptionally well.
Part of the overall problem was an unbelievably bad night at the free-throw line for St. Francis. The team was just 1 for 13 from the charity stripe.
The playoffs loom soon, and Coach Hedrick is confident that he can get this solid team back to its winning ways for the CYO Regionals
Varsity
SFA 39
OLP 33
The coach was glad to see Dan VonTanhausen on the court" against Our Lady of Peace. He noted that VonTanhausen brought a lot of energy, plus 10-key points to help the Bruins up their overall record to 8-8. It seemed as if the Bruins were sleepwalking a bit, but VonTanhausen's energy provided a spark along with solid efforts from teammates Chuck Ringwalt and Joe Nilan. John Oakley also had a nice outing with eight points.
The team made six clutch free throws in the fourth quarter to help to put away this important win, and get back to .500 for the season.
SFA 48
Fatima 43
Junior center Joe Nilan was simply outstanding in leading the Varsity Bruins to victory over Our Lady of Fatima. Nilan played like a man possessed, pulling an impressive 10 rebounds to go with his 13 points. Kris Dellaciprete also played an outstanding game, as did John Oakley who chipped in with eight points.
The coach had to manipulate his lineup a bit, sitting five players who normally get serious playing time for the entire first half for missing practice during the week. The maneuver obviously paid dividends because the team played hard and played well against an always-tough-as-nails regional CYO opponent.

Springfield sports notices for week of Jan. 31

SAA 2011 Sports Sign-Up
The Springfield Athletic Association's new and improved website is now open for secure on-line registration at springfieldaa.org.
In-person registration will be held at the Township Building from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Feb 5.
SFA Spring Sports Sign ups
St. Francis of Assisi sign ups will be on Monday, Feb.7 and Monday Feb. 14 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sign ups are for girls’ softball (grades 5-8),boys’ and girls’ track (grades 4-8), boys’ baseball (grades 5-8), girls’ and boys’ lacrosse (grades 6-8), and coed high school volleyball (grades 9-12) Family fee needs to paid. Refer any questions to Maureen Ward momikenmk@verizon.net

Springfield CYO basketball highlights

JV Highlights

St. Francis 62

St. Thomas 46

Freshman forward Dan Dickinson played his best game in leading the St. Francis JV basketball squad to their seventh straight league win, a convincing 62-46 victory over St. Thomas. Dickinson tallied 18 points and had two key third quarter steals to help the Bruins pull away in the game. He was assisted nicely in his efforts by Kyle Klosinski who led all scorers with 19 points. Mike Dougherty and Andrew Peranteau chipped in with eight points each, and Nick Santana had five.

St. Francis 64

St. Dot’s B 33

Mike Dougherty scorched the nets for 14 points in leading the JV Bruins past St. Dot’s B by a score of 64 to 33. SFA jumped out to a 33 to 14 halftime lead and it was smooth sailing from there. Coach Milt Hedrick got scoring from nine different players in this contest. Besides Dougherty’s solid contribution, Kevin McKnight also added 13 points. The record of the JV Bruins now stands at 9 and 4 overall, 9 and 3 in league play.

Varsity Highlights

St. Francis 40

Thomas 29

It was what Coach Hedrick called “a strange game” but a win is a win is a win as the Varsity Bruin’s made it four in a row with a 40 to 29 victory over St. Thomas. The Bruins seemed to come alive in the 4th quarter after allowing St. Thomas to keep it close first three quarters. Key players for SFA were Matt Reichert who led all scorers with 16 points and Jeff Peranteau who had eight.

St. Gabe’s 32

St. Francis 30

It is tough tot get a “W” when you just can’t score the ball. Such was the case for the Varsity St. Francis Bruins as they fell to St. Gabe’s by a score of 32 to 30. Coach Hedrick noted that his team made “many mental mistakes” in a game they could have easily won. That plus the fact that they just couldn’t seem to pull on and hold on to a rebound cost them dearly in the outing. Jeff Peranteau continued his hustle and scoring in this game, tallying 14 points for the green and gold.

St. Francis 60

Drexel-Neumann 54

Waking from their slumber during the St. Gabe’s game, the Varsity Bruins played possibly their best game of the season in beating Drexel Neumann by a score of 60 to 54. This was a very solid “team” win against a talented and quick athletic opponent. The Bruins fell behind by as many as 12, but they remained undaunted. Clutch foul-shooting in the 4th quarter helped to seal the win. Matt Reichert and John Oakley were outstanding in this game with 20 and 19 points respectively. They were assisted by Ryan McKnight with 10, Jeff Peranteau with nine, and Kevin Proska with two, both of which came on key 4th quarter fouls shots.

St. Francis 57

Chichester 54

Once again it was a matter of making free-throws when they were needed, as the Varsity Bruins bested Chichester by a score of 57 to 54. Coach Hedrick said this “a great win against a quality opponent,” and he went on to say Matt Reichert was simply “sensational.” Hedrick also added it was nice to see “Pat O’Connell seemed to find his shot.” Reichert led all scorers with 23 points and O’Connell chipped in with nine on three clutch three-pointers.

St. Francis 47

Notre Dame 44

It is now three very big, quality wins in a row for the St. Francis Varsity Bruins, the latest being a 47 to 44 nail-biter over previously unbeaten Notre Dame. Coach Hedrick decided to deploy a man-to-man defense against the tough Fighting Irish, and it turned out to be absolutely stifling.

The high-scoring Irish were held to just five first quarter points, and they had to know from the outset that they were in for a tough battle. Hedrick noted his team played smart basketball, and they hustled over and over again, led by junior John Oakley, who was all over the court. For his efforts, Oakley tallied 14 points for the green and gold. Junior Matt Reichert was also huge again, contributing 16 points. Hedrick pointed out the hustle and determination of Kevin Proska, who finished with eight points, all in the key second half of the game.

Springfield sports notices

SAA 2011 Sports Sign-Up

The Springfield Athletic Association's new and improved website is now open for secure on-line registration at springfieldaa.org.

In-person registration will be held at the Township Building from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday Jan. 29 and Saturday Feb 5.

SYC Juniors are grand champions

On Sunday, Jan. 16, the Springfield Youth Club Junior Cheerleaders won the Junior Division of the Upper Darby High School Cheerleading Challenge and were named overall Grand Champions, achieving the highest score of the day. Team members are (first row) Gabby Varacalli, Devon Marker, Maddie DiEnna, (second row) Makenna Walsh, Megan Ellis, Lisa Barbieri, Briana Tramo, Lexi Hoopes, Jenna Eden, Julianna DeFilippo, Caileigh Maull, (third row) Annie Maull, Gabby Glick, Casey Clementsen, Rachael Murphy, Katelyn Ellison, (fourth row) Caitlyn Rich, Iyona Hansen, Bailey Galarus, Jess McCarthy, Mary Kate Carbin, Grace James, Nakhyia Abrams, Lexi Jefferis and Jenna Eden.Head coach is Andi Marra and assistant coaches are Jenna Matyszczak and Nicollette Galarus. Congratulations girls!

Garnet Valley High School to host softball clinic

The Garnet Valley High School Softball Program will host two clinics for players ages 7 to 13, Saturday, March 12. Session 1 will be from 8 a.m. to noon with session 2 running from 1 - 5 p.m., both in the Garnet Valley High School gymnasium. Cost for each session is $25 (by March 7) and includes a T-shirt. Walk-up registration is $30. This is an all-skills clinic, including pitching, catching, infield, outfield and hitting.

At this clinic you will receive instruction from coaches who have competed and coached at the highest level of softball with more than 150 years of experience. This includes men’s fast pitch, Divisions 1, 2 and 3 of the collegiate level, as well as ASA, NSA and Ponies traveling teams. The Garnet Valley Softball Program, under the guidance of head coach Michael DiLuzio and assistant coach Michael Salladino, has compiled a record of 123-19 in six years and captured two consecutive Central League titles.

Joining DiLuzio and Salladino at the clinic will be Bob Wallauer, who has been involved with softball for over 50 years as a men’s fast-pitch player and a Division 1 softball coach, and Joe Coppens, a local softball legend and member of the Delaware County Athletes Hall of Fame.

Participants should bring gloves and sneakers. The GV team will provide all other necessary equipment.

Water will be provided and food and drink will be available for purchase. Proceeds from the clinic go toward the Garnet Valley Softball Program. For a registration form, e-mail PEDOGICO@comcast.net.

Mickey Vernon 'Grand Memories of a Great Champion' exhibit extended

The exhibit commemorating the baseball life of Mickey Vernon has been extended until February 25. The free exhibit is presented by The Mickey Vernon Sports History Museum located at Route 202 and One Beaver Valley Rd. in Chadds Ford.

Gallery hours are Monday - Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For directions, please call 610-565-3679. For more information, please contact Jim Vankoski 610-909-4919 or by email at vankoski21@comcast.net.

Haverford Township Little League 2011 season tryouts

Online registration is now open for the 2011 Haverford Township Little League (HTLL) baseball season. HTLL was founded in 1959 and plays their games on the well-maintained fields on Karakung Drive in Havertown. HTLL is the only youth baseball league in Haverford Township affiliated with Little League Baseball in Williamsport, Pennsylvania (the same Williamsport Little League World Series Tournament you see on ESPN” every August).

All children who reside in Haverford Township (except for a small area south of West Chester Pike) and are at least 8 years old as of April 30, 2011 and do not turn 13 years old before May 1, 2011 are eligible to play. Please go to www.haverfordlittleleague.org to register.

If on-line signups are not to your liking, we will offer walk-in registration on Saturday January 22 from 9:00 am – 11:00 am at the Karakung Building at the Karakung Fields on Karakung Drive in Havertown. This will be the only walk-in registration offered this year.

League registration fee this year is only $95 for the season per player (with discounts for multiple players from the same family). League games are played from April through June. HTLL also fields tournament teams in three age groups for extended summer baseball. For your league fee you get 18-20 regular season games and over 50 hours of practice time (usually 2 games and 2 practices per week) per team. That is about 90 hours of baseball or about $1 per hour; the best bargain for youth sports programs you’ll ever find.

HTLL will run two age-based divisions this year: a Minor League (ages 8-10) instructional/competitive program dedicated to enhancing individual baseball skills and knowledge, providing friendly team competition, and promoting sportsmanship; and our Major League (Ages 10-12) program featuring competitive play that enhances individual baseball knowledge and skills combined with team tactics and strategy, providing higher level baseball competition, and promoting the Little League principles and sportsmanship. We will not be offering the machine-pitch Rookie League this year.

Team managers in our Major League program average more than 20 years of baseball teaching experience; and we always welcome new parent coaches, umpires and other volunteers. For additional information please email us at karakung@comcast.net.

Haverford Heat American Legion baseball tryouts

The Haverford Heat is the American Legion baseball program of Haverford Township, providing competitive travel team play for baseball players ages 13 to 19. Founded in 1925, American Legion Baseball is the most established youth baseball program in the country. Thousands of current and former major league players came through the American Legion Baseball system, far more than through any other organization.

Haverford Heat Tryouts for the 2011 Season for the Preps Division (13 year olds), Sandlots Division (14 year olds), and Junior Legion (14/15 year olds) teams will take place on Saturday, Feb. 5 and Saturday, Feb. 19 from 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Tryouts will be held at the West Chester All-Star Baseball Academy, Penn Oaks Drive, West Chester, PA. Attending Both Sessions is Highly Encouraged. You must be a resident of Haverford Township to play for the Haverford Heat.

If you would like to tryout for one of these age-based teams you must pre-register. Go to www.haverfordheat.org for registration information. To defray costs of renting the facility, there will be a $20 per player tryout fee (covers both sessions).

Tryouts for the Cadets Division (16-year Olds) and Senior Legion (17-19 year olds) teams will be held in late March or early April.

Comets AAU girls' basketball tryouts

The Comets AAU Girls Basketball Club, considered one of the top AAU programs in the country, will hold tryouts for the upcoming 20 11 summer season beginning end of January at Cardinal O'Hara High School

The club currently has more than 34 former Comets playing in college and continues to garner national success . The Comets have maintained its committment to skill development and to teaching the game of basketball with the most qualified coaching staffs in the tri-state area.

All detailed information for specific age groups, registration forms and directions can be found at the Comets website www.cometsaau.com. The Comets will charge a one time $15 .00 tryout fee.

Haverford Spring Baseball registration

The Haverford Athletic Club is now accepting registrations for Spring Baseball via the mail (PO Box 125, Ardmore, PA 19003) or at a walk-in registration on Saturday, Jan. 22, from 10 a.m. to noonat Chestnutwold Elementary School.
The Haverford Athletic Club has been providing instructional baseball to the youth of the Ardmore and Havertown since 1970.

Leagues, Ages, Rates and Fields:
T-Ball Ages 5-6 $45 Normandy Park
Machine Pitch Ages 6-8 $65 Chestnutwold Elementary School
Minors Baseball Ages 9-10 $65 Elwell Field
Majors Baseball Ages 11-12 $70 Elwell Field

Practice begins in late March. Opening Day is April 9 and the season ends in the middle of June. Most regular season games will be played on weeknights with some practices and games on Saturdays.
This year the Haverford Athletic Club will be participating in inter-league play (baseball only) with the Brookline League.
The Club is always looking for volunteers to help with coaching or umpiring. Contact any of the Haverford Athletic Club board, coaches.
For more information, e-mail hacbaseball@yahoo.com, or visit http://eteamz.active.com/haverfordac.

Springfield sports notices

2011 SAA Boys’ Travel Soccer Banquet
The 2011 Springfield Athletic Association Boys Travel Soccer Banquet is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 30 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Springfield Country Club. This is a great opportunity to get together with your team-mates one last time to celebrate the past season.Tickets for adults are $25 and $15 for siblings.
Coaches were asked to forward out the announcement along with a registration form. A copy of the form is on the SAA Boys Travel Soccer website.
For more information or a copy of the reservation form, pl contact your coach or Mike Palumbo (program director) at 610-304-4597 or mkpalumbo@yahoo.com.
Lacrosse Clinic At Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College will host a boys’ lacrosse clinic on Sunday, Jan. 23 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Boys will be grouped according to grade and skill level and will work on fundamentals and scrimmaging. A trainer will be on duty.
Cost is $35, including a tee shirt and water bottle. Proceeds will directly benefit the team’s training expenses.
For information or registration form, contact Swarthmore men’s lacrosse Coach Pat Gress at 610-328-8208 or e-mail pgress1@swarthmore.edu.
MLK Day Basketball Clinic At SHS
Springfield High School Athletics will host a basketball clinic held on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day benefiting the homeless shelters of Community Action Agency of Delaware County. The clinic is open to boys and girls in grades one through six and will run from 10 a.m. to noon. Drop-off and check-in will begin at 9:30 a.m. SHS girls' basketball Coach Kimberly Smith and the girls’ basketball team will direct the clinic. Cost for the clinic is $20 per player and includes a t-shirt. Call 610-938-6182 for more information. Participants are asked to bring one non-perishable food item to donate as well.

Springfield Blue beats Lower Merion

Springfield Blue 7
Lower Merion Red 2
The Springfield Blue Elementary team continued their winning ways by stringing together a second consecutive win, this time defeating the Lower Merion Red team 7-2.
The Cougars’ focus and tenacity put them out to an early four goal lead in the first period. Aidan Smith notched a hat trick followed closely by Nickey Medwid tickling the twine twice as well as assisting Aidan Shandley’s first goal of the season. Lachlan Plummer was dominant, turning away an impressive 19 shots. Zach Issets found his calling as a hungry blue liner, breaking up several Lower Merion scoring chances. Partnered with Issets is Nate Bauman, who turned in a strong showing as he continues to develop into a smart defensive minded player.
Relentless back checking by Justin Bush proved to be too much for the Lower Merion offense as he broke up several scoring chances. Rookie Luca Dimarcantonio was a burr in the skate of the Red team’s goalie, parking in his office right in front of the net. Ronan Plummer picked up another goal to seal his offensive presence on the ice. Versatile Matthew Shandley logged time both on offense and defense and is developing into a strong ice man. Newcomer Shane Knoll dazzled the crowd with his strong skating along with Stephen Rice who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Strong fore checking by Adam Bauman helped lead the Cougars to the win.

St. Francis CYO varsity has winning streak

Junior Varsity
Chichester 81
St. Francis 37
The St. Francis ninth- and 10th-grade JV basketball squad took on a tall and talented Chichester DelVal Club Team, and they got scorched by a score of 81 to 37. A non-league game against this level of competition can serve as a positive building block for a young CYO team looking to find its own identity in this tough CYO Region. Sophomore Center Nick Santana fared well “among the trees,” leading the SFA scoring while hustling for 12 points. Teammate Glenn McGarry chipped in with seven points for the green and gold.
St. Francis 53
St. Pius 34
It was a very solid bounce-back win for SFA as the JV cruised past St. Pius with a score of 53 to 34. Kyle Klosinski was a man possessed in this game, leading all scoring with 19 points. He contributed two big three-pointers in the second period as St. Francis blew open what had been a close game up until that point. Nick Santana continued his solid play with eight points. Dan Dickinson also had eight points, while Kevin McKnight tallied seven and Andrew Peranteau chipped in with six. According to Coach Milt Hedrick, Glenn McGarry “did all of the little things right” in helping SFA to secure this win and improve their overall record to 6 and 4.
Varsity
St. Francis 62
St. Joe’s 29
The Varsity Bruin’s made a statement in recording their second win of the season in a 62 to 29 thrashing of St. Joe’s of Aston. This was a “real solid team win” as the green and gold blew open a close game in the 3rd quarter and never looked back. “Defense” was the name of the game on this night, as the Bruins held a usually tough St. Joe’s team to just five points in the third quarter, and two in the fourth.
Coach Milt Hedrick commented this “was by far the best overall performance by his team thus far this season.” He went on to add that Matt Reichert, who led the scoring with 15 points, “is starting to look like the dominant Matt of last season.”
As Reichert rounds into form from his football days, likely so will his team follow. Jeff Peranteau also had a nice game with 13 points, and he was followed up by Ryan McKnight with eight. Junior center Joe Nilan also had a nice outing for the Bruins, tallying five key points.
St. Francis 43
St. Pius B 17
It was two in a row for the Varsity Bruins as they blasted St. Pius B by a score of 43 to 17. Coach Hedrick noted this was “an ugly win” as his team played “like a team that has not seen a lot of action over the last couple of weeks.” That was likely good news for this seriously outmanned St. Pius squad.
Hedrick did add his team’s defense was “phenomenal” in the second half, holding Pius to a measly two points for the entire half. Everyone on the roster logged court time, and SFA got scoring from 10 different players in this game, led by Jeff Peranteau with 12 and John Oakley with six. This win brings the Varsity Bruin overall record to 3 and 7.