Mahanoy Area's Dylan Mahmod is a fiery performer on the basketball court and isn't afraid to let his emotions show. The senior guard also has the game to back it up.
"He is one of those guys that if you are the opposition, he is a target," Golden Bears coach Mickey Holland said. "If he is on your side, you love him."
Pottsville's Travis Blankenhorn is more quiet and reserved. Don't, however, be fooled by the junior guard's demeanor. Blankenhorn has plenty of game, too.
"He's a humble superstar," Crimson Tide coach Dave Mullaney said. "You would never guess by talking to him that he's the best at every sport."
While their leadership styles and on-court personalities are different, both Mahmod and Blankenhorn share similar traits. Both are successful, multi-sport athletes, with a burning desire for success, both individually and for their teams.
Mahmod and Blankenhorn certainly delivered this past boys' basketball season and for their performances they are 2013-14 Republican-Herald Co-Players of the Year.
Mahmod, a Republican-Herald first-teamer last year, missed the first two games of the season with a broken collarbone suffered during football but recovered to lead Mahanoy Area in scoring at 13.5 points per game, including 40 3-pointers. An all-around offensive threat with a knack for finding the open man, the 6-foot-2 Mahmod was also an excellent defender and was selected to the third team on the Associated Press' Pennsylvania All-State Boys' Basketball team in Class A.
Mahanoy Area finished the season 25-3, winning Schuylkill League Division III, overall league and District 11 Class A titles. The Golden Bears reached the second round of the PIAA playoffs, suffering a season-ending 56-52 loss to Church Farm.
Blankenhorn, a 6-2 guard, was a Republican-Herald Co-Rookie of the Year as a freshman, a first-teamer last season and built on that this past winter. With the loss of Brandon Bridy to graduation, Blankenhorn took over the role as offensive leader and became more multi-dimensional, adding post moves and the ability to get the basket to go
along with a deadly accurate outside shot. Blankenhorn finished second in the league in scoring at 18.2 points per game and drained 61 3s on the year. He added 5.7 rebounds per game, was 78-for-105 (74 percent) from the foul line and currently has 1,103 points in his career.
The Crimson Tide (24-6) were the Division I champs for the fifth consecutive year, reached the league title game for fifth straight season and played in their first District 11 Class AAA title game since 2010. Pottsville advanced to the second round of the state playoffs before losing to eventual state runner-up Susquehanna Twp. 52-45.
For the second consecutive season, Holland is Coach of the Year.
In his 33rd and final season, this season's Golden Bears became the third team he coached to both overall league and district titles in the same season, joining the 1990-91 and 1998-99 squads. The Schuylkill League title, a 45-44 victory over Pottsville on Feb. 14 at Martz Hall, was Mahanoy Area' first since 2006 and ended the Crimson Tide's four-year championship run. The Golden Bears 62-42 rout of Pius X on Feb. 28 at Martz Hall was their second consecutive district championship.
Mahanoy Area finished ranked No. 4 in the Penn-Live.com/Harrisburg Patriot-News state rankings in Class A.
Rookie of Year honors go to North Schuylkill sophomore Tevin Murray.
A 6-5 forward, Murray was one of the four new starters for the Spartans this season and steadily improved as the year progressed. A tenacious rebounder, Murray helped North Schuylkill continue its winning ways as the Spartans finished 16-7.
Mahmod takes leadership role on experienced team
Mahmod was having a great football season as the Golden Bears' quarterback (1,545 rushing, 554 passing) before he broke his collarbone Oct. 25 against Schuylkill Haven. With limited practice time during the basketball preseason - Mahmod was cleared to go full-board in practice Dec. 12 and played his first game the next night against Shenandoah Valley - he started slow offensively. But Mahmod cranked in up late in the year, averaging 17.8 points per game over final 10 games and 15.7 during the Golden Bears' six postseason games.
He scored 17 in Mahanoy Area's 49-35 league semifinal win Feb. 11 against Blue Mountain and 21 in the title game against Pottsville as the Golden Bears built a 40-25 lead with 2:26 left in the game before holding off a furious Crimson Tide comeback.
"Overall, that was probably my best game," Mahmod said.
One of Mahmod's best defensive efforts came in the district title game when he held Pius X' Eric Marbury, who came averaging 17.2 points per game, to 13.
Still, Mahmod felt he stepped up the biggest as a leader. Even with a senior-heavy team and four retuning starters, Mahmod wanted to take on more of that role that started during football as a quarterback. The Golden Bears won their first six games and finished 8-4, losing to Marian in the Eastern Conference Class A title game.
"(Teammates) Larry (McNeil) and Andy (Kuzma) definitely had a big leadership standpoint, too, but I felt me and (Tyler) Cavenas had to take control of the team," Mahmod said. "There were many times when coach told us we are going to go as far as you take us. I definitely felt like I lot of it was on my shoulders."
What Mahmod, who is headed to Susquehanna University to play basketball for coach Frank Marcinek, also has is a burning desire to win.
"You can sense there are certain kids that it is every bit as important to them, winning, as it is to you," Holland said. "It causes you to really trust them and at times listen when they have things to say. With Dylan, he and I had that kind of relationship."
Blankenhorn quietly leads Crimson Tide continued success
Blankenhorn was the lone returning starter from the 2012-13 campaign and finished as Pottsville's second leading scorer behind Bridy. While others, such as junior Eli Nabhohz (12.9) and sophomore Jordan Melochick (9.8) stepped up offensively this past winter, it Blankenhorn turn to lead the way.
"We knew we needed players to step up and I feel like we did that this year," he said.
Especially Blankenhorn.
He average five more points per game more this season compared to his sophomore year and reached double figures in 29 of Pottsville's 30 games. Blankenhorn's season high was 33 at Williamsport on Dec. 17, a key early-season, confidence boosting 53-37 Crimson Tide victory.
Blankenhorn, who has verbally committed to play baseball at the University of Kentucky, went over 1,000 points for his career Feb. 11 against Williams Valley in the league semifinals.
Blankenhorn felt he didn't need to become more of a leader this season, but Mullaney knows he did. He describes Blankenhorn as one who isn't a rah-rah type player but leads by example.
"These kids look up to him," Mullaney said. "As humble as a kid he is, he is just as competitive."
One area Blankenhorn focused on was becoming more of a complete offensive player. Known as a 3-point shooter his first two years, he became more of an inside threat and scorer off the dribble this season.
It was somewhat of an up-and-down year for the Crimson Tide. Their only championship was a division title but the program still reached new heights. Pottsville's 58-38 win over Lower Moreland in the first round of PIAA playoffs March 7 was it first start-tournament victory since 1974. The Crimson Tide also gave Susquehanna Twp., which lost in the Class AAA state finals to Neumann-Goretti, a battle in the second round.
"It was definitely a good season but we could have done better," Blankenhorn said.
Pottsville will get that chance. All five starters will return next season.
Holland finishes career in style and on top
Holland tried to keep it secret that this was going to be his last season but everybody involved in the Mahanoy Area program knew that this was likely the end.
It turned out to be a grand finale as Holland guided a squad with high expectations. It's a role that perfectly suits Holland, who finished with a career record of 614-243, getting win 600 on Jan. 10 against Lourdes.
"I always liked to be the one being chased," he said. "It means that you are good. We always felt that way. We never minded the target on our back."
The Golden Bears were as good as advertised. They led the league in scoring defense, allowing 33.8 points per game, fourth in scoring offense at 57.6 and won their games by an average margin of 27.4 points.
When Mahanoy Area did seem to lose focus, it quickly recovered.
With three of his starters also members of the football team, Holland felt there was a football hangover for the first month of the year. But a 61-41 rout of Danville in the championship game of the Cardinal Classic on Dec. 28 got them going.
After a 62-61 defeat at North Schuylkill on Jan. 31, the most points the Golden Bears allowed all season, Mahanoy Area got its defensive focus back and allowed only one team, Church Farm, to score 50 or more the rest of the year.
While his players wanted to go further, Holland was proud of was accomplished this season. The state playoff loss to Church Farm, a game that was tied at 52 with 1:21 to go before it slipped away, was the perfect example.
Church Farm lost to eventual state runner-up Math, Civics & Science 47-46 in the quarterfinals.
"Honesty, to me it was real rewarding in the fact that we were right there at the end, really," Holland said. "It was a great opportunity to play some great teams, some very good teams with some very good city kids and we looked at it, we played it and we walked away saying 'No excuse.'
"This was a special group of kids and I am super proud of them. It was great group to go out with."
Murray helps Spartans continue winning ways
North Schuylkill coach Curt Ziegmont wasn't exactly sure what he was going to get from the Spartans or Murray this season.
Murray gave Ziegmont more than he expected.
As Murray's confidence grew, so did his production. Over North Schuylkill's final 11 games, Murray averaged 15.6 points per game. His season high was 23 during the Spartan's win over Mahanoy Area he was 13-for-17 from the foul line, hitting go-ahead points from the line with 13 seconds left in the game.
But it was Murrary's rebounding ability, a combination of positioning and aggressiveness, that stood out the most. Ziegmont figured Murray ended the season with at least 12 double-doubles and averaged around 12 rebounds per game.
Murray had 18 points and 16 rebounds in the Spartans' season-ending 52-46 loss to Catasauqua in the District 11 Class AA semifinals.
"He's the best rebounder I've ever coached," Ziegmont said. "Some guys just have the knack. They always seem to find the ball or the ball always finds them."