CLARION — Rosters for this year’s 15th Annual Sportsmanship I/Clarion County YMCA District 9 All-Star game to be played March 28 at Clarion High School were announced today.
A total 40 senior boys and girls will be in action – three injured players are also on rosters — in a two-game schedule that begins with the girls at 6 p.m. followed by the boys at approximately 7:30 p.m. The games serve as a tribute to outgoing senior basketball players and fund-raising event for the YMCA’s Camp Coffman.
This year’s coaches in the boys’ game are Joe Ferguson of the KSAC champion and District 9 Class A champion Clarion-Limestone Lions and Greg Bean of the KSAC runner-up and District 9 Class AA champion Redbank Valley Bulldogs, who will direct the Red Squad while Nate Glunt of the District 9 Class AAA champion Clearfield Bison and Jon Songer of the North Tier League champion and District 9 runner-up Cameron County Red Raiders lead the Blue Squad.
The coaches in this year’s girls’ game are Dave Kerschbaumer of the KSAC champion and District 9 Class AA champion Karns City Lady Gremlins and Tom McNellie of the KSAC runner-up and District 9 Class A champion Venango Catholic Lady Vikings, who will coach the White Squad while Ken Pistner of the AML and D9 League champion Elk County Catholic Lady Crusaders and Dave Sullivan of the Cameron County Lady Red Raiders will coach the Blue Squad.
Three of the district’s top four scorers will play in the boys’ game. No. 2 scorer Cameron County’s Bucknell-bound 6-foot-9 Nate Sestina (21.5 ppg.), the district’s second-leading scorer, leads the Blue Squad while North Clarion’s Christian Cyphert (20.1 ppg.) and Karns City’s David Olszak (19.4 ppg.) team up to lead the Red Squad. They ranked No. 3 and 4 in the district in scoring.
Also joining Sestina on the Blue Squad are Christian Cherry (Johnsonburg), Devin Shumaker (Redbank Valley), Scott Toy (Venango Catholic), Andrew Serafini (Brockway), Ben MacDonald (Ridgway), Cody Skiver (Moniteau), James Bair (Moniteau), Tate Canavan (Brookville) and Janco Swart (Cranberry).
Also on the Red Squad are Jake Dougherty (Redbank Valley), Mitchell Struble (Elk County Catholic), Ryan Seelye (Elk County Catholic), Dane Aucker (DuBois Central Catholic), Alex Graf (Keystone), Erik Sellers (Clearfield), Keith Spehalski (Cameron County) and Kolton Stiglitz (Clarion-Limestone). Cole Kriner (DuBois) was selected for the game and is unable to play because of an injury.
Five of the district’s top seven girls’ scorers — the other two are juniors — are on the girls’ rosters, including the top three scorers in Curwensville’s Ciara Strickland (21.9 ppg.), Clarion’s Maci Thornton (21.0 ppg.) and Keystone’s Madison Johnson (20.5 ppg.). Strickland and Johnson are teamed up to lead the White Squad while Thornton leads the Blue Squad.
Also on the White Squad are Mikaela Bean (Forest Area), Taylor Morgan (Kane), Macy Neureiter (Elk Co. Catholic), Anna Colebert (Otto-Eldred), Annie Hegedus (Karns City), Nicole DiPietro (Punxsutawney), Rylee Lundgren (Bradford) and Taylor Moltz (Venango Catholic). Sheffield’s Jen Isenberg was selected but is unable to play due to an injury.
Rounding out the Blue Squad are Susie Guisto (Cameron County), Julia Sweeney (Elk County Catholic), Somer Buchsenschutz (Port Allegany), Allison Guth (Venango Catholic), Juli Esposito (Brockway), Morgan Okerlund (Smethport), Melody Young (Otto-Eldred), Erin Logue (A-C Valley) and Shanel Preston (Karns City). Moniteau’s Stephanie McCall was also selected but is unable to play due to an injury.
NOTES: Last year’s games were won by the Blue Squad, 101-98, for the boys as Johnsonburg’s Cameron Grumley earned MVP honors with a team-high 19 points. In the girls’ game, The Black/Orange Squad led by MVP Emily Merryman of Cranberry won, 83-58. Merryman scored 19 points. … Winning the Sportsmanship Awards were Bradford’s Ali Rinfrette and Karns City’s Tyler Kepple. … The 32-point shooting contests were won by Rinfrette and Oswayo Valley’s Keagen Goodliff. … The games follow a collegiate format of 20-minute halves. … This year’s preliminary 32 round begins at 4:30 p.m. with player registration beginning at 4 p.m.
