BY CHRIS MANNINGNorthern Tier Sports Report
Northeast Bradford took another step forward this year, even if it wasn’t quite as a big step as they were hoping for.
“We started to fill the line-up for the first time in a few years, so that is encouraging,” said NEB coach Curt Cole. “We finished with two district qualifiers (Ben Ellis, Kamden Ricci), one of which was a freshman (Ben). We had kids placing in tournaments that we entered. We had some kids with winning records, and even 20-win seasons.”
They had just one dual meet win, beating Sayre 54-0, but had close losses to Blue Ridge (36-28) and district duals qualifiers NP-Liberty (27-24).
Individually, Mason Alexander (24-9) led the way, and took home the South Williamsport Mountaineer Tournament title. Ricci (16-10) and Ellis (13-13) both had .500 or better records, as well.
After not getting any district qualifiers two years ago, and just one last year, they had two, almost three, this season, a sure sign of progress for the 2023/2024 season.
The Panthers hope that this year will be another building block for the future.
“We are a young team that hopefully grows since we only have one senior,” Cole said. “The dual meet wins didn’t come, but hopefully next year we can keep building, and notch a few wins as we keep improving.”
