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No Erie or District 10 basketball teams advanced to the PIAA championships this weekend.

However, three former Erie residents, Jeff O’Brien, Darren DeFranco and Ron Leeds are scheduled to be on the Giant Center court in Hershey this weekend. O’Brien will officiate the PIAA Class AA girls championship game between York Catholic and Bishop Canevin today at noon. DeFranco and Leeds will work the Class AA boys game between Beaver Falls and Holy Cross on Saturday at 2 p.m.

O’Brien, 50, has been officiating for 29 years, but this is his first chance to work a PIAA title game. He now lives in Easton.
His mother, Reggie O’Brien, still lives in Erie. His father, James, died in 2008.
Reggie O’Brien has three sons, three grandsons and one son-in-law who have attended Prep. James O’Brien was a 1949 Prep grad.

DeFranco is a class of 1986 graduate from Girard and Leeds graduated from Fairview in 1993.

All eight PIAA championship games can be watched on Pennsylvania Cable Network this weekend.

PIAA semifinals
Class A boys
Vaux 83, Math, Civics & Sciences 66
Johnsonburg 59, Lincoln Park 53
Class AA boys
Holy Cross 53, Trinity 39
Beaver Falls 59, West Middlesex 47
Class AAA boys
Archbishop Carroll 50, Montour 45
Imhotep Charter 56, Donegal 54
Class AAAA boys
Chester 62, St. Joseph’s Prep 53
Lower Merion 67, New Castle 63
Class A girls
Tri-Valley 82, Southern Fulton 45
Vincentian Academy 45, Bishop Guilfoyle 40
Class AA girls
York Catholic 45, St. Basil Academy 28
Bishop Canevin 41, Seton-La Salle 36
Class AAA girls
Bethlehem Catholic 44, Villa Maria (District 1) 39
South Park 63, Blackhawk 59
Class AAAA girls
Cumberland Valley 54, Chartiers Valley 39
Spring-Ford 53, Cardinal O’Hara 49

–Tom Reisenweber

Only one District 10 team remains with the West Middlesex boys. If Beaver Falls wins, the Tigers will sweep the three D-10 Class AA teams in three rounds. A West Middlesex win would snap a 14-year streak of the WPIAL representing the west in the Class AA boys state championship.

PIAA semifinals
Class AA boys
West Middlesex 58, Beaver Falls 56

PIAA playoffs: 28-8 (.777)
Overall: 64-20 (.762)

–Tom Reisenweber

There was some movement in the Harrisburg Patriot-News high school boys basketball rankings this week after two more rounds of PIAA playoffs. West Middlesex, the sole remaining District 10 team, stayed No. 2 in Class AA, while Lakeview finished at No. 8. Cathedral Prep finished as the No. 6 team in Class AAAA, while General McLane is No. 6 in Class AAA. Girard, Mercyhurst Prep, Kennedy Catholic and Girard were honorable mention teams.

Click below for the complete rankings. There are no girls rankings this year.

–Tom Reisenweber
Read the rest of this entry »

Fairview Tigers
Baseball
Coach (season, record): Joe Spinelli (4th season, 25-24)
2012 overall record: 14-5
2012 region record (place): 6-2 (second)
2012 playoff results: Lost to Sharon 13-6 in the District 10 Class AA quarterfinals.
Top players lost: Bobby Jackson, Zach LaRocca
Top returning players: Tom Connell, Nolan Roberts, Chris King
Assistant coaches: Brian Hardner, Don Patrick
Outlook: Fairview put together one of its best seasons in a long time in 2012 with 14 wins and a District 10 Class AA playoff spot. The Tigers ran into a talented Sharon team in the first round but Fairview is looking for a second chance this year. The Tigers will have to replace Bobby Jackson and Zach LaRocco. Both graduated and were big contributors as seniors. Jackson was voted to the all-region second team at second base after collected 24 hits last year, while LaRocca was 8-0 with a 0.63 ERA. Faiview has a solid group back, including Tom Connell, Nolan Roberts and Chris King. Connell, a catcher, hit .400 and was voted to the second team as a junior, while Roberts hit .323 and was voted to the all-region first team at first base and the second team as a pitcher. King was named all-region at utility and hit .322 in 2012. Fairview could also receive contributions from new players Mike Connell, a freshman infielder, and freshman Nolan Green, a pitcher and an outfielder. Tanner Tregaskis is coming off a football injury but should be back to man the outfield along with Hunter Jageman and Nick Samsel. Chris King, Scott Klemm, Gabe Malthaner and Mike Connell could start in the field and Tom Connell behind the plate. Roberts will be in the rotation but Fairview will need to quickly develop its pitching staff in order to compete. The Tigers will take on Mercyhurst Prep, North East, Northwestern and Seneca in region play along with a strong non-region schedule. Fairview will take on several big schools, including East, Strong Vincent, Franklin and Girard.

Schedule
April
3 Iroquois 4
5 at Eisenhower 4
10 at Mercyhurst Prep* 6:30
12 North East* 4
15 at East 4
19 at Northwestern* 4
22 Youngsville 4
24 at Seneca* 4
26 Mercyhurst Prep* 4
29 at Titusville 4
May
1 at North East* 4
3 Strong Vincent 4
8 Northwestern* 4
13 Seneca* 4
15 Franklin 4
17 at Girard 4
*Region 5 games

Softball
Coach (season, record): Anita Deloe (7th season, 96-31)
2012 overall record: 23-1
2012 region record (place): 18-0 (champion)
2012 playoff results: Defeated Iroquois 5-2 and Wilmington 11-0 to win the District 10 Class AA championship. Fairview then defeated Greensburg Central Catholic 7-0 in the first round of the PIAA playoffs before losing to Neshannock 4-3 in the quarterfinals.
Top players lost: Michalla Martin, Holly O’Brien, Kelsey Everhart
Top returning players: Raven Rozantz, Kayla Kupniewski, Aubree Martin, Roni Lipinski, Caitlyn MacKelvey, Courtney Kupniewski
Assistant coaches: Dave Masterson, Julie (Deloe) Nye, Craig MacKelvey, Candace Magraw, Bob Hall
Outlook: Fairview came three outs away from the state semifinals last spring and the Tigers are looking for a similar opportunity this year. Fairview returns the District 10 Player of the Year and one of the best pitchers in the state in Raven Rozantz. She is back for her senior year after a terrific junior season. Rozantz was named all-state, all-district and all-region after having a 0.50 ERA with 211 strikeouts and a .398 batting average. She will be a leader for a young team that needs to replace Michalla Martin, Holly O’Brien and Kelsey Everhart. Martin was named all-state as an outfielder and all-region with a .323 average. O’Brien was an all-region designated player and Everhart contributed as well last spring. Along with Rozantz, Fairview returns Kayla Kupniewski, Aubree Martin, Roni Lipinski, Caitlyn MacKelvey and Courtney Kupniewski. Kayla Kupniewski is a returning all-district shortstop and an honorable-mention selection. She hit .458 last year and was voted to the all-region first team. Aubree Martin was voted to the second team as an outfielder after hitting .360 last year and Lipinski hit .394 to make the second team at catcher as a freshman. Martin could be moving to first base this spring. MacKelvey is back to anchor the outfield, while Courtney Kupniewski is projected to start at third base. Freshman Rosie Myers could step in and start at second base, while sophomore Hannah Rossman could start in the outfield this year. The final outfield spot could be decided in camp. The Tigers have a young team this year but enough experience to be the favorite in Class AA once again. Harbor Creek moved down from Class AAA and Northwestern is always a contender. Fairview will start the season at the Ripken experience in Myrtle Beach before jumping into region play with four straight road games. The Tigers also have showdowns with Fort LeBoeuf, Corry and McDowell.

Schedule
March
28 at Carmichaels (in S.C.) 11 a.m.
29 at Minford (in S.C.) 11 a.m.
April
2 at North East* 4
4 at Villa Maria* 4
9 at Northwestern* 4
11 at Harbor Creek* 4
16 Girard* 4
18 at Seneca* 4
23 General McLane* 4
25 North East* 4
27 at Corry noon
29 at Fort LeBoeuf (at Behrend) TBA
30 Villa Maria* 4
May
2 Northwestern* 4
7 Harbor Creek* 4
9 at Girard* 4
10 Edgewood (Ohio) 4
13 McDowell 4
14 Seneca* 4
16 at General McLane* 4
*Region 4 games

–Tom Reisenweber

The West Middlesex boys basketball team is the last remaining team in District 10. The Big Reds (25-3), however, are one win away from heading to Hershey. West Middlesex will play District 7 champion and No. 1 team in the state Beaver Falls (26-3) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sharon High School in the PIAA Class AA semifinals. The Big Reds have been on the road for most of the PIAA playoffs. After a first-round game at Slippery Rock, West Middlesex played at Clarion University and IUP in the past two rounds. The Big Reds will look to make their first trip to the state championship since 1959. West Middlesex is 1-1 all-time in state championship games with a 74-58 win over Mount Joy in the 1954 Class A title game and a 51-34 loss to Kutztown in the 1959 Class AA game. Beaver Falls will look to keep an impressive streak going. The WPIAL has represented the west in the Class AA boys state championship game for the past 14 years.

–Tom Reisenweber

PIAA quarterfinals
Class AA boys
Trinity 73, Loyalsock 68 OT
Holy Cross 75, Constitution 61
West Middlesex 60, Conemaugh Township 46
Beaver Falls 56, Lakeview 44
Class AAAA boys
Chester 55, Great Valley 42
St. Joseph’s Prep 67, Coatesville 43
Lower Merion 63, Harrisburg 62
New Castle 80, Cathedral Prep 70
Class A girls
Southern Fulton 47, Lourdes Regional 29
Vincentian Academy 68, Kennedy Catholic 51
Bishop Guilfoyle 45, Clarion 35
Tri-Valley 73, Steelton-Highspire 72
Class AAA girls
Blachawk 78, Lancaster Catholic 52
South Park 61, Franklin 43
Villa Maria48, Scranton Prep 30
Bethlehem Catholic 67, Prep Charter 46

–Tom Reisenweber

PIAA quarterfinals
Class AA boys
West Middlesex 62, Conemaugh Township 54
Lakeview 56, Beaver Falls 54
Class AAAA boys
Cathedral Prep 75, New Castle 74
Class A girls
Kennedy Catholic 57, Vincentian Academy 54
Class AAA girls
Franklin 54, South Park 50

PIAA playoffs: 27-4 (.871)
Overall: 63-16 (.797)

–Tom Reisenweber

Danielle Barnes

North East girls basketball coach Terry Frontino could always count on quality minutes from 5-foot 6-inch junior guard/forward Danielle Barnes.