A number of coaches with local connections can be found plying their trade on the collegiate gridiron. Here’s just a few:
Nativity and Delaware Valley grad Eric Inama returns to the University of Sioux Falls (SD), which has moved up to Division II from the NAIA. Inama, who coached at Sioux Falls from 2007-2009 before moving to Midland University in Nebraska, will be coaching defensive backs and special teams.
• Susquehanna has added former Mount Carmel and Boston College quarterback Dave Shinskie as wide receivers coach. Shinskie, who was drafted as a baseball pitcher in 2003 by the Minnesota Twins and spent six years in the minor leagues, graduated from BC in 2013. He quarterbacked for Boston College for two years.
• Stan Dakosty Jr. continues his coaching career at his alma mater, Colgate, where he coaches the secondary and is Colgate’s recruiting coordinator. It’s his seventh season with the Raiders.
• At Holy Cross, assistant coach Cazzie Kosciolek is mentoring running backs this season after six seasons of working with wide receivers. Kosciolek, a Summit Hill native, is also the special teams coordinator.
• Former Blue Mountain head coach and high school principal Jim Ketner is coaching cornerbacks and special teams at Kutztown.
Patriot League Look
Three local student-athletes are playing their college football in the Patriot League.
Fullback Ed Pavalko of North
Schuylkill returns for his senior season at Colgate. Mahanoy Area standout Tyler Cavenas is a freshman defensive lineman for Lehigh, and sophomore Richie Smith of Panther Valley is a running back at Army.
Pavalko was a second-team selection to the Beyond Sports Network preseason All-America team and was named to the preseason All-Patriot League Team. Colgate lost its opener 10-0 to Ball State on Aug. 30, and returns to action Saturday at Delaware. The Raiders conclude the season with Patriot League games at Lehigh (Nov. 15) and at Bucknell (Nov. 22).
Gridiron Glimpses
Susquehanna and Moravian both play football in the Centennial Conference and each features local players. Moravian’s roster includes junior defensive lineman Gunnar Houseknecht of Nativity and freshmen Kyle Ferryman (wide receiver) of Panther Valley and defensive back Ryan Saunders of Jim Thorpe.
At Susquehanna, senior John Slater of Tri-Valley is a punter, while junior Patrick Murphy of Hamburg plays strong safety.
Saturday highlights
Schuylkill Haven graduate Brian Murphy threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns, and Blue Mountain’s Frank Gaffney had 12 tackles and a sack, but Lebanon Valley dropped its opener 28-21 to Franklin & Marshall.
Gaffney and LVC senior offensive tackle Tyler Dean, a North Schuylkill graduate, have garnered invitations to the Dream Bowl Senior All-Star Game to be held Jan. 19 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Dean is a four-year starter for the Dutchmen.
• Tri-Valley alum Blake Bowman, a sophomore running back, rushed for a touchdown in Lycoming’s 42-13 rout of Susquehanna in the Stagg Hat Trophy game. Marian grad Phil Schron blocked a punt to set up one of the Warriors’ touchdowns.
• North Schuylkill’s Jonathan Green and Pottsville’s Bobby Witman play for Villanova, which improved to 1-1 with a 50-6 victory Saturday over Fordham.
Academic Honors
Holy Family University soccer goalkeeper and Pottsville graduate Sienna Smith was named the Holy Family Scholar-Athlete after her freshman year. The award is based on both academic and athletic achievement. In the classroom, Smith has a 4.0 grade-point average and is a member of the Dean’s List. On the soccer pitch, she was the CACC Rookie of the Year, first in the conference in shutouts (7) and wins (11) and fifth in saves (104), save percentage and goals against average.
• Earning a spot on the 2013 and 2014 Dean’s List at Seton Hill University in Greensburg was volleyball player Courtney Field of Nativity. Field is now entering her senior year and carries a 3.62 GPA while working toward a dual major in marketing and human resources. She has been a volleyball starter since her freshman year, was a team captain last year and was named team MVP after last season.
Seton Hill joined the PSAC last year and finished third with a 26-12 record, qualifying for the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Championships. Field recorded 14 double-doubles in assists and digs and has 2,793 assists so far in her career.
• Lycoming’s volleyball team earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award. One of the team members leading the way by earning Middle Atlantic Conference Academic Honor Roll honors in 2013-14 was junior art major Laura Cinicola of Marian.
• There are three local student-athletes from Bloomsburg who have been named to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete list for 2013-14. They are football quarterback Chris Palubinsky of Shenandoah Valley, women’s cross-country runner Vicki Davis of Schuylkill Haven and women’s track and field thrower Meghan Hallick of Pottsville. Davis was also named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team by virtue of achieving a 4.0 GPA while earning a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction.
• Kutztown placed three area student-athletes on the PSAC Scholar-Athlete Team as well. They are men’s basketball player Brandon Bridy of Pottsville, men’s track and field thrower Tyler Rolshausen of Blue Mountain and women’s soccer player Kailee Rottet of Tamaqua.
• Meanwhile back in the MAC, two local Wilkes student-athletes earned spots on the MAC 2014 Spring Academic Honor Roll: softball player Alysha Bixler of Williams Valley and baseball player Bobby Schappell of Pottsville.
Ahead of the pack
Tamaqua graduate Kelsey Patrick repeated as the individual women’s champion at Saturday’s 42nd annual Dutchmen Invitational at Memorial Lake State Park in Lebanon, finishing in 18:58.45 to help Lebanon Valley win the team title. Fellow junior Alyssa Keich, also of Tamaqua, was 12th for Lebanon Valley in 20:51.82. Pottsville’s Taylor Englert, who runs for Widener, placed 40th in 22:15.56.
• Blue Mountain’s Allison Ebling earned her first career victory in goal in Saint Joseph’s 4-1 win over Pacific on Aug. 23. A junior, Ebling made four saves in the win.
• Another former Blue Mountain girls’ soccer standout, Jordyn Reilly, is a starter at midfield for Lycoming.
Volleyball Notes
Pottsville graduate Hayley Dunkel, Tamaqua’s Sarah Paluck and Marian’s Marykate Sherkness have helped the Susquehanna volleyball team open the season 7-1.
The Crusaders capped a 4-0 weekend with victories Saturday over St. Vincent and Gettysburg in the Hampton Inn Crusader Classic. Dunkel had two solo blocks and six block assists in the two wins, while Paluck had 52 digs on the day — 26 in both games.
Sherkness was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Haverford Invitational, where Susquehanna went 3-1 and won the title with wins over UMass-Boston, Stevenson and Widener. Sherkness had 15 kills in the Crusaders’ loss to Haverford, while Paluck had 17 digs.
• Lebanon Valley is also 7-1 after winning this weekend’s Rumble in the Valley. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Troutman of Tri-Valley had 20 kills in wins Saturday over McDaniel and Franklin & Marshall.
• The Lycoming College volleyball team is off to a 6-2 start. Sophomore setter Haley Deibert of Tri-Valley had 11 assists and three digs in a win over Penn College on Aug. 29, then tallied nine assists and five digs in Saturday’s loss to Fredonia. Cinicola, a senior, is in the rotation at outside hitter.
• Pottsville’s Megan Powers posted 39 assists, five kills and 10 digs in a 3-1 loss to Lycoming on Aug. 30.
• Nativity grad Emily Kaledas, a junior outside hitter, had a pair of kills in Millersville’s win over Holy Family in Saturday’s Marauder Clash. Millersville is off to a 4-0 start.
(MacLaughlin’s college column appears bi-weekly. To make contributions, email Sports Editor Leroy Boyer at Lboyer@republicanherald.com)