Springfield Blue defeats Haverford

The second place Springfield Elementary Blue team faced off against first place Haverford in a battle for the top spot. In one of the toughest games thus far, Lachlan Plummer faced 26 shots on goal and did his part to secure the close 6-4 victory.
A close first period saw Nicky Medwid and Aidan Smith notching goals, the first of two for each. Continued development and hard defensive play by Zack Isetts and Nate Bauman helped hold Haverford to only one goal in the first period.
Young guns Matthew Shandley, Luca Dimarcantonio and Adam Bauman continue to work hard and contribute on offense.
In the third period, Justin Bush found the back of the net, as well as Aidan Kertis who was assisted by Ronan Plummer.
Aidan Shandley’s speed and stick handling provided many opportunities for the Blue Squad. Forwards Ryan Kertis, Stephen Rice and Shane Knoell turned in impressive shifts up front and continue to hunt in front of the net.

Springfield CYO basketball playoffs

JV Playoffs
St. SFA 57
St. Thomas 53
St. Francis of Assisi (SFA) sophomore Mike Dougherty combined with freshmen Dan Dickinson and Kevin McKnight to lead the JV Bruins to a hard-fought 57-53 first round playoff victory over St. Thomas. Dougherty had 10 points, eight rebounds and four steals to lead the green and gold. Dickinson led the scoring with 12 points, assisted nicely by McKnight with 11. Kyle Klosinski also chipped in with 10, and Nick Cahill had five - all in the fourth quarter, including two clutch shots at the foul line to seal the win.
The team started out slow, trailing 15-9 after one period. According to the coach, his team did a very good job against an opponent that shoots the three very well.
SFA 49
Fatima 48
It was one of those games that players and fans will be talking about for a very long time as SFA ninth and 10th graders bested Our Lady of Fatima by a point in the CYO Regional quarterfinal playoffs.
The Bruins led by as many as nine points in the first half, but a tough third quarter left them behind the eight ball at 40-35 entering the final period.
Super soph Mike Dougherty took things into his own hands in the fourth, tallying eight of his team high 14 points with the game on the line. His was assisted nicely by freshman star Dan Dickinson who tallied 12, and netted a key free throw on the front end of a one and one to give SFA its final lead.
Fatima had two last chances with time running out, but Glenn McGarry pulled the final game-winning rebound to seal the victory and send the green and gold to the semi-finals.
Holy Cross 48, SFA 33
The JV Bruins fell to cross-town rival Holy Cross in the semi-finals. It seemed the emotion of the previous night's nail-biting one-point win took its toll on this young team, because after jumping out to a 4-0 lead, they fell flat and never recovered against a talented and tough opponent.
Solid freshman Dan Dickinson continued his solid play, notching 12 points for the night. Kevin McKnight chipped in with seven. and Mike Dougherty and Nick Santana each had four.
This loss eliminated the Bruins from the 2010-2011 playoffs, but they were still slated to see action in the St. John's Post-Season Tournament. Look to the Press for updates on post-season play.
Varsity Playoffs
St. Anastasia 52
SFA 43
Juniors Matt Reichert, John Oakley and Jeff Peranteau played exceptionally well, but it was simply not enough as the varsity Bruins fell in the first round of the regional CYO playoffs52-43 at the hands of St. Anastasia.
A disappointed Coach Milt Hedrick noted that "the season ended the way it began - we had our chances but just could not make some easy shots when it counted."
The Bruins never led in this game, but they battled and pulled to within 45-41 late, but it was a case of too little too late against a talented opponent.
Something that haunted this team all year came back to haunt them again, as they went a paltry 10 for 24 at the free-throw stripe.
Reichert tallied 13 points to lead the green and gold, and Peranteau chipped in with 10, followed by Oakley with seven.
The team was scheduled to close out the season in the St. John's Post-Season Tournament, starting this past weekend. Look to the Press for post-season updates.

PCN to air same-day coverage of PIAA team wrestling championships

High school wrestling teams will take to the mats before a statewide audience on Sat., Feb. 12, as PCN airs exclusive same-day coverage of the PIAA team wrestling championships from the Giant Center in Hershey.

Coverage of the AAA team wrestling championships begins same-day at 8 p.m. and re-airs at 12 a.m. on Sun., Feb. 13.

Coverage of the AA team wrestling championship begins same-day at 10 p.m. and re-airs at 3 p.m. on Sun., Feb. 13.

PCN’s coverage of the 2011 PIAA team wrestling championships is being underwritten, in part, by PHFA - the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

On March 12, PCN will air the PIAA individual wrestling championships. To learn more about the PIAA, visit www.piaa.org. A complete listing of PCN’s upcoming PIAA sports championship coverage as well as PCN’s channel designations is available on the network’s website at www.pcntv.com.

As part of an exclusive agreement with the PIAA, the statewide network is able to air a variety of high school championships throughout the fall, winter and spring seasons. For the remainder of the scholastic year, PCN will provide statewide championship coverage of individual wrestling, swimming and diving, basketball, track and field, boys’ volleyball, girls’ spring soccer, baseball, softball and lacrosse.

PCN is a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization created and supported by cable television companies. PCN receives no state or federal funding. Network programming is distributed on more than 150 cable systems in Pennsylvania serving more than 10 million Pennsylvanians in 3.3 million homes.

Haverford's Kelsey LeBlanc commits to University of Virginia

Haverford High School Senior Kelsey LeBlanc has signed a national letter of intent to play for the University of Virginia Cavaliers on an athletic scholarship. During her senior campaign, LeBlanc captained the Fords to an appearance in the State Tournament after capturing the Central League Title with an 11-0 record.

LeBlanc was named her team's overall MVP, First Team All Central League, and First Team All-State. Joining her for the signing ceremony are her parents, Kathleen and Reagan LeBlanc, Haverford Athletic Director Joann Patterson, and Haverford Field Hockey Coach Samantha Lloyd.

Haverford baseball league registrations

Coopertown League
Don’t let the snow and ice in the forecast fool you ... it’s time to be thinking about baseball! Continuing a decade-plus tradition, the Coopertown Civic Association again proudly presents the Coopertown Youth T-Ball and Machine Pitch Baseball League.
The primary objectives of the Coopertown Youth Baseball League are to maximize fun and to provide basic baseball instruction to boys and girls.
The upcoming season will run from April 11 through June 9, 2011, and now is the time to register your sons and daughters (ages 4 through 9).
Visit www.coopertown-tball.com to learn about the league and to download the registration form.
Contactmark.hoffman@me.com with questions.

Merion Golf/Merwood Athletic Association
Registration has started for the 2011 baseball, softball and T-ball season.
This is an important year as the association prepares for its 45th season.
Merion Golf/Merwood Athletic Association is a non-profit, volunteer organization that needs everyone’s help to be successful. It stresses the FUNdamentals of the sport, everyone plays and all children are welcome.
All games will be played at Paddock Park and Merwood Park, both of which are located in Havertown.
Registration is now completely online. Go to www.mgmaa.org and click on registration. This is a secure site and you now have the option to pay with Visa, MasterCard or with a mail-in check. All fees are used to pay for uniforms, umpires and equipment. If you do not have internet access or have questions regarding the league, e-mail mgmaa@comcast.net, or call 610-789-4835.

The following are the fees and divisions:
There is a $45 fee for T-Ball at Paddock Park. It is open to boys and girls, ages 5-6, with a birthday cut off of April 30, 2011. Members live closer to Paddock Park.
There is a $45 fee for T-Ball at Merwood Park for boys and girls ages 5-6, with a birthday cut off of April 30, 2011. Members live closer to Merwood Park.
There is a $50 fee for Boys’ Instructional Machine Pitching, Instructional Division, ages 7-8, with a birthday cut off of April 30, 2011.
There is a $65 fee for Boys’ Minors Player Pitching for ages 9-10, with a birthday cut off of April 30, 2011.
There is a $75 fee for Boys’ Majors Player Pitching, ages 11-14, with a birthday cut off of April 30, 2011.
There is a $50 fee for Girls’ Instructional Machine Pitching, ages 7-8, with a birthday cut off of Jan. 1, 2011.
There is a $65 fee for Girls’ Minors Player Pitching, ages 9-10, with a birthday cut off of Jan. 1, 2011.
There is a $75 fee for Girls’ Majors Player Pitching, Ages 11-14, with a birthday cut off of Jan. 1, 2011.

To register online, go to www.mgmaa.org.
There is an age chart provided online for questions about ages for the season.
Volunteers from all families are needed to make the league successful. Each player’s family will be required to work in the shack for one night, coach, or help with league functions.
Registration must be completed no later than Feb. 15, 2011. Any application received after Feb. 15, 2011 must include a $25 late fee.

Haverford Athletic Club
The Haverford Athletic Club is now accepting registrations for Spring Baseball via the mail (PO Box 125, Ardmore, PA 19003)
The Haverford Athletic Club has been providing instructional baseball to the youth of the Ardmore and Havertown since 1970.
T-Ball is offered for ages 5 and 6 at Normandy Park; Cost, $5.
Machine Pitch is offered for ages 6 to 8 at Chestnutwold Elementary School; Cost, $65.
Minors Baseball is offered for ages 9 and 10 at Elwell Field; Cost, $65.
Majors Baseball is offered for ages 11 and 12 at Elwell Field; Cost, $70.
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 and coaches.
For more information, e-mail hacbaseball@yahoo.com. You can also visit http://eteamz.active.com/haverfordac.

All Star Baseball to offer spring training camp at Haverford School Feb. 20-1

All Star Baseball has teamed up with The Haverford School to offer a Pre-Season Baseball Training Camp in Feb., for area players in grades four through nine. All Star Baseball Academy is a national leader in baseball training and is pleased to have Cincinnati Reds Major League Scout Shawn Pender as a member of its staff.

Pender, a resident of Haverford, has been running camps and programs for ASBA for many years, and is the Director of the Pre-Season Baseball Training Camp. A former minor league player in the Pittsburgh Pirates' system, Pender was a standout athlete at Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square and he later starred for Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.

ASBA Marketing Manager Ken Leidheiser recently sat down with Pender to review his teaching background and focus areas, as well as to preview the Indoor Pre-Season Camp at Haverford School.

ASBA: How long have you been running baseball camps and teaching young players?

Pender: I've run camps and baseball clinics for 25 years now. I love doing it and helping young players get better. With my experience in baseball, I organize the camps so that they really help players with their fundamental skills. It's great to see them get better and then track their progress.

ASBA: Are there certain drills and focus areas in every camp that you run?

Pender: Yes, there are three important focal points to every camp that I organize and run. First is quality instruction-- teaching the players good baseball fundamentals and key skills to be successful. Number two is make it fun! I like to run short indoor games and competitions, and make it fun for the kids to participate. And the last thing is mentoring. We talk about the importance of schoolwork and sports, and we emphasize academics in addition to baseball training.

ASBA: What about player/coach ratio and coordinating the camps for different age groups?

Pender: We always offer a good player/coach ratio and feel that's very important. We want to teach in small groups to show the players how to repeat key skills. Repetition is a big thing in all of our camps, and it's big in every single level of baseball, too. We also do age group sorting, so that the groups are right and players are with others of the same age group and skill sets.

ASBA: As a coach and "teacher" of baseball, what is your approach?

Pender: I believe in the "building block" approach and not completely tearing a player down to start over. Start with the lower half (legs, hips and "core") and work up from there. You need to have a strong lower half to be a successful player, no matter what level you are playing. It's not all about your arm strength or your bat speed. I like to start with what the player does well, and build from there.

ASBA: Are you looking forward to the Pre-Season Training Camp at Haverford School in February?

Pender: Yes, absolutely. We have a great staff with Haverford School Head Coach Bob Castell working closely with me, and we also have top coaches from All Star Baseball Academy too. The camp is Feb. 20-21 in the indoor sports facility at Haverford, and the timing is really good for players who want to learn new skills and tune up for their upcoming spring seasons.

We encourage area players to sign up with their friends, or even as teams, as this will be great spring training! Players in grades four through nine are invited to sign up wth ASBA and attend. You can call our staff at 610-399-8050 to sign up.

ASBA: Sounds like a great camp! And good luck with the Reds this year. Are they looking tough again for 2011?

Pender: Yes, we've got a super team and we'll try to give the Giants and Phillies a run for their money in the NL this year!!