Between June 26 and July 30, D9Sports.com Sports Editor Chris Rossetti will be counting down his Top 25 favorites stories in District 9 from the 2017-18 school year starting with No. 25 June 25 and finishing with No. 1 July 30. Again these are Chris’ favorite stories and are open for debate.
No. 4 Brockway boys’ soccer makes a rare run to PIAA semifinals
Going into the 2017 season, District 9 boys’ soccer wasn’t exactly highly regarded around the rest of the commonwealth.
After all, a District 9 team had never made it out of the second round of the PIAA playoffs.
Brockway changed all that.
The Rovers made D9 history becoming the first boys’ team and just the third team overall to advance to the PIAA semifinals with wins over a pair of WPIAL stalwarts.
First, Brockway beat WPIAL third-place finisher Seton LaSalle, 3-2, in the opening round when Tino Inzana scored on a header off a direct kick from Zane Puhala with just two minutes to play.
The game saw the Rovers rally twice.
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, Hunter Allenbaugh tied the game following a Devin Velez free kick. But the Rebels answered back to go up 2-1.
With just seven minutes to play, Allenbaugh scored on a penalty kick, and the Inzana got the game-winner five minutes later.
In the quarterfinals, Brockway met up with WPIAL runner-up Springdale, and again a late goal lifted the Rovers to a 2-1 lead.
Puhala, who had both goals in the game for the Rovers, scored with 13 minutes to play to break a 1-1 tie and give Brockway a 2-1 win. The Rovers joined the 1996 and 2015 Karns City girls’ teams as the only District 9 teams to advance to the PIAA semifinals.
The Rovers nearly became the first D9 team to move into the title game before falling 1-0 to WPIAL champion Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic in overtime of the semifinal contest. The winning goal came just moments after Clayton Heckman almost won the game for the Rovers only to be denied by a sprawling save.
Nevertheless, Brockway finished the year 20-1 while making District 9 history.
Chris Rossetti’s Top 25 Sports Stories in District 9 for the 2017-18 School Year
No. 25 – A-C Valley girls win first PIAA playoff basketball game in school history
No. 24 – Two District 9 girls finish in Top 10 at District 9 Cross Country Meet
No. 23 – Jack Krug bursts onto the scene, helps Brookville football return to the postseason
No. 22 – Brendan Zerfoss wins D9 Track MVP Award, two PIAA medals
No. 21 – Cranberry wins District 9 Class 2A softball title
No. 20 – Ridgway/Johnsonburg Co-op Flourishing
No. 19 – Coudersport shoots lights out in beating unbeaten Ridgway for boys’ 2A hoops title
No. 18 – Clarion stops Kane’s run of D9 football titles; Win PIAA Game
No. 17 – Beimel’s dash wins D9 4A baseball title for St. Marys 1st 2000
No. 16 – Led by 4×100-relay team, Brookville boys’ track & field goes back-to-back in D9
No. 15 – Brookville Wrestling Continues Dominance
No. 14 – Brookville girls’ basketball goes from 6-16 to District 9 3A title and second round of PIAA playoffs
No. 13 – Record-setting players in D9 girls’ basketball
No. 12 – Nick Stewart becomes District 9’s all-time leading rusher
No. 11 – Lingenfelter records every out by strikeout
No. 10 – North Clarion girls’ basketball perfect in D9
No. 9 – Miller, Fullem both reach 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds during the season
No. 8 – Tori Obenrader scores 2,000 points, grabs 1,500 rebounds in her career
No. 7 – Conto’s 200th win; Fahlor’s wild D9 title-winning shot highlight another banner year at Karns City
No. 6 – ECC boys’ cross country finished second in the state for second straight year
No. 5 – Clarion Volleyball: From 3rd in D9 to PIAA semifinals
No. 4 – Brockway boys’ soccer makes a rare run to PIAA semifinals
No. 3 – Coming July 26
No. 2 – Coming July 27
No. 1 – Coming July 30
