THE YEAR'S TOP MOMENTS/STORYLINES - PART 5 (2024-07-20)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
The list of the top 25 moments/storylines continues as we dig deeper into the top 10.

7. NEB’s Anaiah Kolesar a part of history as she earns medal at first ever PIAA Girls’ Wrestling Championship: It was an exciting year for girls’ wrestling, and none were more excited than NEB fans as they watched Kolesar earn a state medal in the inaugural PIAA Championships. A 5-1 win over Mechanicsburg’s Kallie Bower in the quarterfinals pushed her to the semifinals, and guaranteed her a spot on the podium. Kolesar would ultimately take fourth at states, and finished as the highest placing NTL wrestler, girl or boy.

6. Bronze Helmet coming down to the wire: It had the makings of a classic - Towanda’s rebuild was bearing fruit, while Wyalusing was going through a rebirth on the grid iron - and the fans didn’t leave disappointed. In fact, they still might be trying to process what happened. After a scoreless first Riley Vanderpool made it 7-0 with a 5-yard run in the second. Wyalusing tied it up in the third on a Dylan Johns 1-yard punch on fourth-and-goal. Towanda, taking advantage of a Ram turnover, scored on a Vanderpool 1-yard run, going up 14-7 with 7:36 left to play. On the ensuing drive Towanda nearly ended things early but Wyalusing converted a fourth down. Towanda then did stop Wyalusing, turning it over on downs 5-yards from the end zone, only to turn it over. Johns scored the touchdown run, and added the 2-point conversion, to put Wyalusing up 15-14. Towanda wasn’t done, though, as Vanderpool made three straight completions to get them to the Wyalusing 12-yard line for a last second field goal try. Wyalusing’s defense, though, forced a wide left kick, and Bronze Helmet went back down the river. The game had everything a football fan could ask for, and more.

5. Troy’s Sens, Towanda’s Farrell show out at the PIAA Track and Field Championships: Coming off their 1-2 finish at districts both were on the border of reaching the state podium in the shot put. Farrell was the last thrower in the first heat, but used that as motivation, putting down a throw of 51-feet, 2 3/4-inches, breaking the 50-foot plateau for the first time. Sens was in the second flight, and had a good start at 49-feet, but needed more. His throw of 50-feet, 5 3/4-inches got him into the finals, then it was his third throw of 51-feet, 4 1/4-inches that would eventually get him on the podium. Foot fouls were the name of the game in the finals flight as the best throwers in the state tried to squeeze just a few more inches out of their throws. Sens was seventh, Farrell tied for eighth going into the final round of throws. Farrell had the tie-breaker with the second best throw until Brookville’s Brayden Ross equaled him with his final throw. That went to second tie-breaker, where Ross had him to take eighth. Both throwers return next season, and will be amongst the favorites to bring home gold in the event.

4. Northeast Bradford upsets NP-Liberty for District IV, Class AA volleyball title: After years of bumping up against a glass ceiling the Panthers finally broke through - twice - in 2023. They finally won the NTL Small School divisional title after years of being frustrated by Canton, but it was their District IV, Class AA finals win over NP-Liberty that really sent shocks through the system. The Mounties had gone 6-1 in their last seven district finals, but after losing to them 3-0 at the end of the regular season NEB practiced their defense at the net and it paid off with a 3-1 win. They rallied from a 12-5 deficit to win the first set 25-21 with NPL winning 25-20 in the second set. The Panthers pulled out a 25-19 win in the all important third set, then in the fourth set, with the score tied 24-24, an NPL attack was out, followed by an Abby O’Connor block that fell in to give the Panthers the clinching 26-24 win. They had a season high 10 blocks in the match, making history twice in one season.

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