TOP OF THE LINE. Kane football is a family affair for Silfies PAINTING FULL BASEMENT WATERPROOFING

Transcription

1 From The Publishers of Sports LOCAL NEWS: Kane Wolves football staff, Page D-3 Eric Matheson in action Ridgway alumnus continues to be dominant force for Pitt-Bradford basketball. PAGE D-5 Former ECC standout excels in college Kristy Hanes takes it to the basket for Penn State DuBois. PAGE D-7 ONE Newspaper Group PAINTING We Specialize In High-Quality Work Interior/Exterior Painting Wall Papering Varnishing Hardwood Floor Re nishing Epoxy Floor Coating (Garage Floors, Basements, Patio) Fully Insured over 25 years experience (814) or Kane football is a family affair for Silfies By Amy Geer Staff Writer KANE Todd Silfies has been he Kane Wolves head football oach for four years. The Wolves ave a winning percentage just a hade under 80 percent, having won 39 of 49 games in his four easons at the helm and have layed for a District 9 title in ach of them, winning the Class A Championship each of the past wo years. When previous Wolves coach Jason Barner decided to step side after the 2011 season, Siles said he was hoping for the pportunity to continue and uild upon the strong program. After getting his wife Dana s lessing to apply for the position, ilfies proposed a partnership of orts with assistant coach Tyler Matheson reflects on basketball, both past and present By Greg Reedy Sports Editor BRADFORD Pitt-Bradford guard and 2012 Ridgway Area High School graduate Eric atheson has always enjoyed laying basketball and being lose to home. He s happy to be able to do both n college. Through seven games, Matheon leads the UPB Panthers in coring, averaging a bit under 0 points per game with a 19.7 oints per game average. He s tarted every game and hardly omes off the floor, averaging team-best 36.9 minutes per ame. He also has a 5.7 rebounds er game average and an average f 6.7 assists per game. Matheson s also averaging two steals per ame. He s scored 25 points twice his season. He came back his junior year nd had a really nice season, itt-bradford men s basketball ead coach Britt Moore said. Then this year, he got a little bit tronger. He improves everything e does a little bit each season o make himself a better player. e s the kind of guy you want. e s going to work, he does it by xample. He s just a great leader o have in the locker room. He opened the season with 25 oints against Alfred State on ov. 17 and just had 25 at Pittreensburg on Dec. 12. He is one of, if not the best, uards in our league, the area, oore said. Opposing coaches lways comment how good he is, Smith. When he found out the former Wolves standout quarterback was on board with his plan, he "jumped at the opportunity." "We met and put together the plan," Silfies said of the partnership. "A plan that I think has been pretty successful. I handle the defense and he handles the offense. It is that simple. I don t second-guess the offense and he doesn t have to justify or get my permission for anything on that side of the ball. It is just easier that way. I trust him. He is the best offensive mind I ve ever met. "The partnership has made my life so much easier. I take care of the day-to-day operations of the program and defense. I SEE SILFIES ON PAGE D-3 Photo courtesy Pitt-Bradford Sports Information Pitt-Bradford guard and 2012 Ridgway Area High School graduate Eric Matheson goes in for a layup during a recent collegiate basketball game. Photo by Robert Gaetano Todd Silfies has been the head coach of the Kane Wolves football team for four years. The Wolves have played in the District 9 championship game each of those seasons and have won 39 of 49 games during his tenure. how hard he plays. He s our guy. We ask a lot of him on the offensive and defensive end. This comes off a season where Matheson was named secondteam All-AMCC. Last year, Matheson averaged 15.8 points per game and 33.8 minutes per game. He averaged 3.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game along with 2.2 steals. He is a hard worker, Moore said. He s in the gym working on his shot, in the weight room lifting every day. His first season with us, his sophomore year, it took him probably eight or 10 games to get back into the flow of competitive basketball and college basketball because his freshman year, he just played limited minutes at Lake Erie. It took him a little bit to figure out what he could do well. In that second half of the sophomore year, he really took off. He was a big part of the reason why we won a playoff game here at home, he made a couple plays down the stretch against La Roche in that game. Matheson said the improved numbers haven t been just from last year to this year, but throughout his collegiate career. I think I made some good strides on the court, Matheson said. My jump shot s a lot better than it was in high school. I think SEE ERIC ON PAGE D-4 Photo by Becky Polaski Kristy Hanes, 1, is shown taking a shot while being pressured by a Westmoreland County Community College player during the Penn State DuBois Lady Lions' home opener in November. Hanes led all scorers with 24 points in the game. Hanes enjoying basketball career at Penn State DuBois By Becky Polaski Staff Writer DuBOIS Area residents who have seen the Penn State DuBois women's basketball team in action this season may have noticed a familiar face on the court as a starter for the Lady Lions. Kristy Hanes, a 5-7 junior guard, has been a force on the basketball court for years, and she is currently in her third season playing for Penn State DuBois. The Lady Lions are nine games into their campaign, and so far Hanes is averaging 9.8 points per game and has tallied 88 total points. In the Lady Lions' home opener against Westmoreland County SEE HANES ON PAGE D-7 WET BASEMENT? FULL BASEMENT WATERPROOFING FINISHED & UNFINISHED BASEMENTS CRAWL SPACES TOP OF THE LINE BUILDERS FULLY INSURED FULLY LICENSED FREE ESTIMATES PA# WE DO EVERYTHING FROM TOP TO BOTTOM... FROM THE ROOF TO THE BASEMENT!

2 D-2 The Daily Press, The Ridgway Record, and The Kane Republican Elk County Catholic School System preschool elementary middle high O come, let us adore Him As we prepare for the birth of our Savior, we at ECCSS take this time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! This digital drawing of the Blessed Mother and Baby Jesus was done by RaeAnn Bucher, a senior at Elk County Catholic High School. This time of giving is also a time to be thankful. The ECCSS school community is so thankful for: Daily Theology classes and weekly Masses at each school Dedicated teachers, students, staff members, coaches and volunteers Scholarship funds that award nearly half a million dollars each year to our students Seven AP courses and nine dual enrollment courses at the high school level Elementary and middle school students who consistently score well above the national average on standardized tests each year Latin programs at the elementary and high schools Championship athletics and fine arts programs Technology initiatives at all three schools, including ipads for all teachers and high school students Upcoming Events: Take a Peek Week - Jan Parents of eligible preschool children are invited to attend a class in session. Kindergarten/Preschool Registration - Feb. 3 Information and Registration Night begins at 6 p.m. at St. Marys Catholic Elementary. For more information on these events, please contact Frankie Stubber, Director of Admissions ( ).

3 SILFIES FROM PAGE 1 don t have to worry about offense and that is a great relief. Once Tyler and I had the agreement in place, the next guy we brought in was Jim Sirianni. He is the ine coach on both sides of he ball and absolutely a artner in the process. All ecisions that have been ade in the program over he last four seasons and ffseasons have been made y all three of us together." The Wolves coaching staff is a tight-knit group. "We are an incredibly close group of friends who coach together," Silfies said. "We have no egos in terms of who does what and no one is ever worried about their title or who gets credit. We have a job to do and we do it day in and day out with no complaints. It is hard to explain just how special my assistant coaches are." In addition to Smith and Sirianni, other coaches on the staff are Mike London (junior varsity head coach, junior varsity offensive coordinator, running backs coach, scout team offensive coordinator), Chris Barber (wide receivers and defensive backs coach, junior varsity defensive coordinator and scout team defensive coordinator), Royce Novosel- Johnson (defensive backs nd running backs coach), Jesse Olson (linebackers oach), Mike Szymanski kicking game coach) and oug Caldwell. Silfies is quick to give credit to each of his assistants. "I don t think enough can be said about coach London s role as the scout team coordinator," Silfies said. "He gets young players to run opposing offenses week in and week out. He motivates the players to give their best even when they are outmatched gainst our starting deense. He watches film with the scout team and ives them specific tasks so they not only play the position of the opponent they play with the style that the opponent has. "If the opposing team has a player that talks a lot and plays a little dirty, coach London gets our players (usually JT Stewart or Frank Truden) to play that exact way all week in practice. There were moments in practice where I would look over Photo by Amy Geer Members of the Kane Wolves football staff are pictured above. From left to right, front row: Chris Barber, Todd Silfies, Royce Novosel-Johnson, Jesse Olson; back row, Mike London, Josh Lindenmuth, Tyler Smith, Jim Sirianni, Doug Caldwell. Lindenmuth has since moved to Brockway Area School District and Mike Szymanski was absent at the time of the photo. The Wolves finished 12-1 this season and won the program's third district title. and JT would have his face mask in the earhole of Tyler Rolick talking smack just like the opponent does. These are small details, but when Friday night rolls around, our defense is ready because coach London and the scout team prepared them for every small detail of the opponent." Silfies said everything he says about coach London also is true of coach Barber on defense. "Our scout team runs the opposing defense all week. Oftentimes, that is a defense that is not similar to ours in any way, but they do it and do a great job helping us prepare," Silfies said. "Royce s graduate level knowledge of the game is why we brought him on board. He has helped our defense grow schematically and he is also an excellent handson coach. Coach Olson, our linebackers coach, sets the disposition of our physical defense." Coach Szymanski stepped down from a fulltime position and is now a part-time volunteer on the staff, working mainly with the kickers and punters and is also a "huge help on the sideline on game days," according to Silfies. As for coach Caldwell, the senior member of the staff, the Wolves head coach gives him the title of assistant head coach. "He does all of the little things for our program," Silfies said. "He does the thankless duties, like making sure everything is ready for practice and running here or there during practice to take care of the odds and ends. His role in the program cannot be overlooked, as he does countless things to take the pressure off of me as the head coach. Doug also watches more film than anyone on the staff. "He comes into the coaches' room every day with 10 or 12 clips for coach Smith and I to watch in order to help us prepare. Often he brings things that one or both of us missed and on more than one occasion, those items have been instrumental in our ability to win football games." Not to be outdone, in addition to the other members of the coaching staff, Silfies gives credit to his wife for his success. "She is the absolute reason that I am able to be successful as a coach," Silfies said. "She is the quintessential 'coach s wife.' She understands what it takes to win and never questions the process. She does everything for our family during the season in order to allow me to devote 100 percent of my attention to the program." His wife, Dana, also loves helping to feed the players with the Quarterback Club and even cooks for the coaches every Sunday night so they have something to eat during their marathon weekly preparation meetings. Silfies appreciates the patience of his assistant coaches' wives as well. "I am thankful that they let their husbands devote so much time to our program," he said. "I am incredibly demanding of their time and energy all year long. Without great wives at home, none of these guys would be able to do what they do and in The Daily Press, The Ridgway Record, and The Kane Republican D-3 turn, I couldn t do what I do without them." He and Dana, a Ridgway native, have two children, Will, who is 4, and 3-year-old Audrey. Even an occasional day off during the fall usually means more football. "If we do get a chance to get away and spend a Saturday together during the season, it is usually spent at Edinboro, watching former players Josh Kibbie and Sean Rolick play," Silfies said. Silfies graduated from Elk County Catholic in 2002 (along with Kane boys basketball coach Matt Gasbarre), where he played on the Crusaders football and baseball teams. After high school, he attended Slippery Rock University where he graduated in May of Silfies said he always wanted to be a coach, and actually scheduled his college courses to accommodate coaching as a volunteer for ECC football during his sophomore and junior years at SRU. When asked who his most influential coaches were, Silfies first named his Dad. "He was my first coach, coaching me in little league and youth football," Silfies said. "I always admired the way he prepared and competed, even at the youth level. He was also one of my high school baseball coaches." Aside from his father, Silfies said his high school football coach, Joe Schlimm, was the single biggest influence on him. "He taught social studies and coached football and always made it seem like so much fun," Silfies recalled. "My coaching and teaching styles are definitely molded after him." In addition to them, Silfies also had excellent coaching role models when he got hired at Kane just months after graduating college. "I was blessed to come to Kane at a time when there were a ton of great coaches around," Silfies said. He served as a volunteer football coach on Barner s squad his first fall in Kane as a linebacker and wide receiver coach before becoming a special teams coordinator and defensive coordinator. He also coached on the middle SEE SILFIES ON PAGE D-4 HOFFMANS SPORTS & TURF 1080 Million Dollar Highway St. Marys, PA THERE S STILL TIME FOR A NEW APPLIANCE OR TV FOR CHRISTMAS ALL IN STOCK TV S & APPLIANCES ON SALE! 6 MONTHS NO INTEREST 233 Brusselles St TV SPECIAL SAVE $500 This Toshiba is PRICED TO GO FOR CHRISTMAS! FULL LINE OF APPLIANCES STOP IN FOR DETAILS. Serving the area for over 60 years. MURONE S TV & APPLIANCES The oldest TV & Appliance Dealer in the Area Greetings and Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from everyone at Art Heary & Sons Furniture The Screen Printing Experts BUSINESSES - CORPORATE WEAR EMPLOYEE GIFTS WITH COMPANY LOGO: JACKETS T-SHIRTS SWEATSHIRTS Fast, Friendly & Reliable Service Trophies & Awards Pool Table Sales & Service Team Sports Equipment Team Uniforms & Apparel The Area s Best Choice for Screen Printing & Embroidery T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, Golf Shirts, Hats, Jackets, Uniforms, Sports Bags and more! Great Prices Free Set-up Fast Delivery 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE CALL FOR A QUOTE TODAY! Erie Avenue Saint Marys, PA Visit our website for trophies and awards. dproshop@windstream.net

4 D-4 The Daily Press, The Ridgway Record, and The Kane Republican SILFIES FROM PAGE D-3 school track and field team for seven years, "which is kind of crazy because I was a baseball player in igh school, not a track thlete," he said. However, Silfies said hat coach Sirianni has a way of talking people into hings. "He got me to help out with the middle school eam my first year and coaching alongside Jim and coach Tom Cecchetti was a great experience nd I was able to learn a reat deal from both of hem," he said. In addition to track and football, Silfies also served as junior varsity boys basketball coach for one season under head coach Brian Wymer. Other coaching influnces Silfies mentioned ncluded Barner, who "relly showed me what the ay-to-day operations of football program should ook like," and coach Phil mbrogno, who died in ay of "Coach Imbrogno and I were very close during our ERIC FROM PAGE 1 days as assistant coaches under Jason," Silfies said. "He taught me an incredible amount about the defensive side of the ball and more importantly, how to motivate and relate to the players." Coach Sirianni, who has coached the Wolves football team for 30 years over the past four decades, talked about the leader of the program. "Todd Silfies takes care of the 'details of the details' and is exceptionally knowledgeable about the science of football," Sirianni said. "He has the ability to use technology to break down our opponent's offense and defense and he also has an exceptionally mathematical mind, which affords him the ability to analyze and understand our opponent's tactics. "He is young and motivated and relates very well to our athletes and also is highly respected as a coach and teacher. He is a role model within our school and is the epitome of what a teacher, coach, husband my confidence is high. One thing I ve learned from coach (Anthony) Allegretto is to take the criticism that they re trying to tell you because if they re not telling you what you did wrong, hey don t care. Coach Alegretto helped me out a lot with that. He s going to yell t you and get on you but t s because he cares and wants you to get better. So oming here, coach (Britt) oore, he gets on you not ecause he wants to yell at you, he wants you to be beter. Moore complimented atheson s overall game nd skills. He knows how to play asketball, Moore said. He sees things develop in erms of passing. He s an nselfish player, willing to ake the extra pass. He is very strong. He s not the iggest guy but he s got ome strength. He s got a eally quick first step. He s ble to get by people and tep by people. He does it ll, he can finish at the rim, e can pull up, he can shoot he three, he s a good ballandler. You don t see that lot at our level, a guy that an do everything. He s just ne of those guys. Matheson said comng into the season, team hemistry was something hat was emphasized. We got a team that asn t played much toether with new starters nd transfers as our startng lineup, Matheson aid. We re starting to put hings together but it s a bit f a process so far. Matheson said part of uilding that chemistry ncludes befriending the eammates on and off the ourt. I think it all depends on ow much work you put in t the beginning, Matheon said. It all started when we first got to school. We started our basketball workouts and our lifting workouts. A lot of it has to o with building the chemstry with each other too. ot all basketball, some of t is but a lot of it has to do with becoming friends and nowing each other and what they re going to do on he court. Entering his senior season, Matheson said it was similar to how he felt as a senior at Ridgway High School in terms of being a more vocal leader. I look forward to that challenge because I m a very quiet kid but I know his year is like my senior year of high school, Matheon said. I have to be more vocal. I have a good undertanding of the game so I eed to share that with my eammates and do whatver I can to help lead this eam. Current Ridgway varsity oys basketball coach Anthony Allegretto coached Matheson while he was with the Elkers and spoke highly of his leadership skills. Eric recognized that the kids of Ridgway looked up to him, and he never shied away from spending time with the younger players to help them with basketball, Allegretto said. He has been a great role model for the youth of Ridgway, my own sons included. Although Pitt-Bradford had a great deal of roster turnover entering this season, Matheson said the goals for the season are high. We lost four starters last year which is always hard to come back and have a good season after losing four starters and a good majority of our scoring, Matheson said. We lost a lot of experience. They re stepping up and I think everyone s ready for the challenge to win a championship. I needed to make a change Improvement in Matheson s game came from a realization which came during his first year of college basketball at Lake Erie and father should be." In Sirianni's view, he calls Silfies "one of the premier head football coaches in the state of Pennsylvania." "The town of Kane is a better place because of the Silfies family living here and I am exceedingly proud and honored to be one of his assistants," Sirianni said. Both Silfies and Sirianni are quick to credit the Kane athletes for the program s success. "I think that the Kane program is blessed with super athletic, high character kids who work extremely hard," Silfies said, indicating that the bar has been set for the program and expectations continue to climb. "I think those high expectations drive us toward success," he said. "The success is not only due to the players and assistant coaches, but also it is a credit to everyone who surrounds the program, including members of the Quarterback Club. It is College. Matheson said he needed to get stronger. My first year at Lake Erie was the biggest in eyeopening, Matheson said. A lot of the time, I was in the right position or I was doing what I was supposed to be doing but at the same time, the other guys were just bigger and stronger than me. They could bump me off where you re supposed to be and move you and post up on you. I knew after that, I needed to make a change. I got into lifting. I didn t really like it in high school. I went to everything that I was supposed to and I lifted as hard as the next guy on the team but I didn t enjoy it. Now that I enjoy it, I find myself even on game day going to the weight room and getting a lift in before a game. There s definitely a big jump from single-a, D-9 basketball to Division III basketball, Matheson said. Everyone s obviously more skilled in college but the biggest thing for me was putting on weight. When I graduated high school, I weighed 135 pounds. You can be as skilled as you want but you re that small, you get pushed around DAILY SPECIALS TUES: Wings & Things WED: Steak Night 8 oz. Ball Tip Sirloin...$9.99 THURS: Pasta Day FRI: Fish Fry SAT: Prime Rib SUN: Cook s Choice Our desserts are homemade. We have freshly made soups. Also full menu items available daily. The West Wind Restaurant is located at the St. Marys Airport. Take So. Michael Rd. and follow the signs to the airport. Gift Cards Available Hours: Closed Monday s Open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 9pm Saturday & Sunday Serving Breakfast 8am - 9pm Check us out on Facebook no single player, coach or person that makes the program successful. The whole Kane football family is instrumental in our success." Keeping up with the family theme, Silfies said his veteran players "work hard with the younger players in order to get them ready for the next year." "Our staff works really hard and I will say this season is probably the hardest we have worked because of the number of top players who graduated last year," Silfies said. "Expectations are high and excuses aren t an option. For example, you can either pout because you lost the defensive player of the year at middle linebacker (Jamie Lingenfelter) and make that a valid excuse, or you can work hard as a staff and even harder as players to fill those shoes with the next defensive player of the year (Erik DeLong). "My dad, who grew up in Smethport, always had whether you want to or not, you re not strong enough. I wasn t huge into lifting when I was in high school but once I got to college, I knew that I had to to become a good player. I just fell in love with it. I love putting in the work now, gaining weight and getting stronger. According to Pitt-Bradford, Matheson came into the season weighing 160 pounds. Matheson estimated he put on about 30 pounds since high school and improved his weightlifting techniques greatly. At the beginning of the season this year, I was a saying about the great Carl Defilippi teams and that was that 'They don t rebuild, they reload.' That is what we are trying to establish in Kane. We have been blessed to have had great players over the last several years who have embraced the challenge and who refuse to make excuses. These guys have already started to prepare for next season and that is a huge motivator for me as a coach." Coach Sirianni had no problem describing what it takes to make a successful football program, calling Silfies a "superior head coach" leading "an awardwinning team." "It takes a tremendous amount of time and talent," coach Sirianni said. "A great football team must have exceptional athletes who are willing to work to the very highest level of their abilities. Those two ingredients-- coaching excellence and athletic dedication-- exist with our football program and coach Silfies deserves up 30 pounds since high school, Matheson said. I don t know exactly how much muscle I ve put on but in my bench I ve put on my max bench about 75 pounds. I ve been putting in the work the past three, four years. It s translated for me because when people push you around because you re 135 pounds, it s a big disadvantage. I m not tall to begin with, I m only 5-9, 5-10, so having that little extra weight really helped me out. Matheson played an average of just 4.6 minutes per game at Lake Erie during his freshman year and the credit for establishing our reputation as one of the premier varsity football programs in western Pennsylvania." This year s Kane football team is only the second ever to win 12 football games in a single season in the school's rich football history. The fantastic season came to an end Friday, Dec. 4 with a 27-6 loss to Farrell, the District 10 champ, in a playoff game at Memorial Field at Clarion University. "I told Tyler (Coach Smith) this after the Farrell game, sometimes I feel guilty because I claim I am still working after school, but really what I do every day is I get to hang around with my best friends (players and coaches) and coach the greatest game ever invented," Silfies said. "It is truly an honor to coach this team in this town with these guys." Wolves fans hope to see him pacing on their sideline for many more years to come. only scored 12 points in 14 games for the Storm. After one season, Matheson transferred to Pitt-Bradford and saw his stats improve. He started 23 games and averaged 11.1 points per game in 31.6 minutes per game. He had 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game in his sophomore year and first year with Pitt-Bradford. Although the stats were solid, they weren t up to Matheson s standards. My first year coming in here, I had a pretty good year but to my standards SEE ERIC ON PAGE D-5 GIVE YOUR FAMILY A CONCERT THIS CRHISTMAS ACM - Top Vocal Group Winner 14 - Top 10 hits 6 Consecutive #1 s! Saturday, March 12 7:00pm Doors Open at 6pm St. Marys Area High School Auditorium South St. Marys Road, St. Marys, PA Tickets on Sale NOW Available at: St Marys Auto Body 1021 Trout Run Road (814) $ tax and handling (All Reserved Seating) SPECIAL SURPRISE GUEST YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS!

5 ERIC FROM PAGE D-4 and what I hold myself accountable to being on the court, I didn t have the year I thought I would, atheson said. I also had o adjust, I had two new eammates, a new system nd everything. After I got year under my belt, I felt ike I knew my role on the eam and that s where I ound out what the team eeds me to do. I just try to o that game in and game ut. While improving on the ourt, Matheson had to adjust to the skill level of colege basketball, notably the peed aspect of the game. In high school, I always felt like I was quicker han everyone. That really elped me out. When I got o college, I was just as ast as everyone, Matheon said. In high school, I ould beat someone and get y them. In college, I could et by somebody but they ould close out or get back o me quicker with their trength, hold me back a ittle bit. Matheson said the other big difference was the time he had to release a shot. The other difference is the time you have to shoot the ball. People close out a lot quicker in college and the schemes are a lot deeper, Matheson said. There are so many options you could do on a pick-and-roll. People really don t understand unless you ve actually played the game. Closer to home Matheson said the main reason why he went to Pitt- Bradford was to be closer to his family. With campus about an hour s drive from Ridgway, his family and friends would be able to see him play more frequently. There s a couple things that factored into it. The biggest reason was I wanted to come closer to y family and have my riends around, Matheson aid. You grow up with hem playing the game or so long, that s a bit of he reason why you fall in ove with the game because you re with your friends. Your first year in college, you re not playing for Ridgway anymore which was lways a big motivation or me because I wanted o help our town look good nd win for our town and y family and our friends. wanted to get back closer ecause even though I m ot playing for Ridgway, I ee plenty of people coming p to my games and watchng. It s just really great to ee them out there and see hem following me after beng out of high school for so ong. Matheson was quick to recognize his parents, Dave and Lisa Matheson, for all of their help throughout Matheson s youth playing basketball at a number of different levels. It s everything to me because my parents have given me so much going back to when I was 10 years old playing basketball whether I was at the YMCA or when I started playing AAU basketball, they ve given me every opportunity that I could ask for to better myself as a basketball player, Matheson said. For me to be able to play in front of them and play in front of people that got to watch the success in high school that we had as a team, that s just motivation to perform or them when they come nd watch me. One person who enjoys etting to watch Matheson t the college level is Alleretto. It is great to be able to ollow his basketball career t UPB and to be able to njoy the guts and grit he akes out onto the court ach and every game, Alegretto said. A great ambassador While Matheson gets otivation from performng well for his supporters, e is admired by those curently in the Ridgway boys asketball program. Alleretto commended him for Photo courtesy Pitt-Bradford Sports Information Pitt-Bradford guard and 2012 Ridgway Area High School graduate Eric Matheson has been a force for his collegiate basketball team thus far this season. setting such a good example for current and future players to follow. Eric has been a great ambassador of Elker basketball, Allegretto said. This current group of Elker basketball players grew up admiring and cheering for Eric as he led Ridgway teams of the past in the playoffs. Allegretto remembers younger players looking up to him greatly. I think of him as the Pied Piper of Ridgway basketball - when he was in the program the young basketball players would follow him wherever he went, Allegretto said. He was always helpful in our youth camps and had a great rapport with the kids. He had a big hand in getting the Elker basketball program to the point where it is today. Matheson s arrival with the program as a freshman in the season started an upward trend for the Elkers that has remained steady. Ridgway finished 3-18 in Matheson s freshman year and followed with a season in his sophomore year and a return trip to the D-9 playoffs. A 21-5 season followed in before the D-9 championship season of , a year which saw the Elkers win 29 games. I am thankful for the opportunity to have coached him and to be able to call him a friend, and I congratulate him on all of his past, present, and future accomplishments, Allegretto said. Remembering the championship The Ridgway Elker boys basketball team will be remembered fondly HOFFMAN AUTO & TRUCK REPAIR, INC East Eschbach Road St. Marys, PA Call us today for your free quote! We stock a variety of commercial and residential plows and plow parts. The Daily Press, The Ridgway Record, and The Kane Republican D-5 by Ridgway fans for many years to come. That team finished the season with a 29-2 record and was 12-0 at home. The Elkers won the Elk County Holiday Tournament, the Allegheny Mountain League (AML) Championship and the District 9 Class A championship that season. Ridgway then won three games in the PIAA playoffs before bowing out in the state semifinals. Matheson was named as the District 9 Player of the Year and was named as First-Team All- District. Matheson also was named First-Team All-District in the prior two seasons for the Elkers. In his senior year of , Matheson scored a whopping 571 points for an 18.4 points per game average, his overall point total led District 9. Those memories from his senior season are still vivid in Matheson s mind today and talked about often. Pretty much every time we talk about it, when I get together with my friends, when I come home on holidays or a weekend, it s always about how much fun we had and the process of putting in the work, Matheson said. It didn t seem like work to us, it was more of we had fun running and putting in the work in the gym. We were so close, our group, that it was like we wanted to do that. It was just a lot of fun for us. On March 3, 2012, Ridgway reached the top of the District 9 Class A boys basketball mountain with a win over Johnsonburg. It was incredible, Matheson said. I remember all our games at Clarion pretty much perfectly. I remember everyone after we won the district championship, everybody jumping up and down and me jumping into Josh Mitchell s arms, he s catching me. We re running around like we just won the NBA championship. It was just so cool to win a district championship for our town. Matheson was the Elkers last 1,000-point scorer until recently when Jeremy Breier passed the mark in the team s season-opening win at Smethport. Matheson opened his senior season in exactly the same way as he passed the 1,000-point mark in the season-opener during a season-opening win against Smethport. I know Jeremy is the same way that I am, Matheson said. He wanted to win more than worry about his individual stats. He knows the ultimate goal is win another district championship. I think he has the right mindset. He s had a heck of a career so far. I look forward to watching him continue. He wanted me to get 40 Although Matheson had many highlights during his time with the Elkers, one game which stood out happened on Feb. 3, 2012 at home against Sheffield. That night, Matheson put on a dazzling display of shooting as he racked up 38 points in a victory over the Wolverines. Matheson remembered the point total right away and estimated he made seven or eight three-pointers that night. It s not going to happen every game, Matheson said. I think I made seven or eight three-pointers that night and I was just feeling it. I felt like every shot I shot was going in. While the Elkers were pulling away in the second half, Matheson said coach Allegretto wanted him to hit 40. I just remember coach Allegretto yelling at me to shoot more because he wanted me to get to 40 points but at the end of the game we had a pretty big lead and I wasn t really shooting and he took me out, Matheson said. Senior year all over again Matheson is well aware of the toughness of the senior year and vows to play every game like it s his last. In my senior year of high school, everyone was pretty upset, Matheson said. I was upset too but I knew that I was going to go on for at least a couple more years and I played for four more years. Your senior year is always a tough year because you always work a little bit harder because you know it s the end of it. You never know when that last game s going to be so I have to go out there and play every game like it s my last. Overall, Matheson said he had many people to express appreciation to for helping him throughout this basketball career. There s so many people that have helped me out and allowed me to be doing what I ve been doing for the last 10 or 12 years, Matheson said. I can t thank them enough E. Center Street Johnsonburg, PA (Formerly Kopper Kettle) Bar & Dining Room

6 D-6 The Daily Press, The Ridgway Record, and The Kane Republican & Home Improvements Your Local, Family Owned, Flooring professionals since 1968 Now offers CARPET and UPHOLSTERY cleaning Call today for a free estimate The Rotovac employs a patented pro- three spray jets followed by three vacu- capsulates the spray jets and vacuum slots to create a "Steam Chamber" ef- BLAH, BLAH, BLAH... What all this means is your carpet is cleaner and dries faster!!! Our equipment is portable so we can reach the TOP FLOOR of EVERY building!!! WE DO IT ALL Across From Kane High School

7 HANES FROM PAGE 1 Community College on Tuesday, Nov. 10, Hanes led all scorers with 24 points. "My college basketball career has been an experience in itself," Hanes said. "I have the opportunity to play at a higher level than high school and to compete against some very talented players. It's lways disappointing to ot have a winning reord, but sometimes wining isn't everything." Kristy is the daughter f Carl and the late Aieen Hanes of Kersey, and he credited her mother with introducing her to the game that has come to mean so much to her. "I started playing basketball because from the second my mom taught me to dribble the ball, I was hooked," she said. "I spent all day, every day, with a ball. I just loved watching it go through the hoop." While Hanes can currently be seen on the court at Penn State DuBois and other colleges across the state, her basketball career got its start in her parents' driveway. "I spent countless hours outside," she said. Progressing through the ranks, she played for the Lady Cavaliers from third through sixth grades. In middle school she became a Lady Crusader and played for Elk County Catholic High School during all four years of high school. "Outside of school basetball, I played in sevral park leagues, 3-on-3 ournaments, and with riends," Hanes said. Even with such a wide variety of playing experince, Hanes noted that he bond she has with her eammates at Penn State ubois is unlike anything he experienced before, ven at the high school evel. "In comparison to high chool, my college team is uch more of a family," anes said. "Having the bility to live in a house with several teammates and to see each other every day is really what makes us unique. In high school, we would have team dinners before every home game, but the chemistry between us wasn't nearly what my PSUD team has. I've had the chance to go and do some really amazing things with this team and I wouldn't trade it for the world." While Hanes has fit right in at Penn State Du- Bois, she initially did not end up there right out of high school. "Coach Pat Lewis from Penn State DuBois originally asked me to play for him just before the start of my senior year of high school. I remember being so excited about it, but I felt that I needed to look elsewhere first. Big mistake. I attended Robert Morris University for one semester. I quickly became friends with their women's basketball team, but I felt lost when they would head to practice without me. I really missed the sport that made me who I was for so many years," Hanes said. Just two days into the semester, she got ahold of coach Lewis to discuss transferring to Penn Photo by Becky Polaski Kristy Hanes is shown shooting a foul shot for the Penn State DuBois Lady Lions during their game against Westmoreland County Community College earlier this season. State DuBois. She ultimately decided to finish out the semester at Robert Morris and officially began her career at PSUD the following spring. "Within three weeks of reaching out to (coach Lewis), I was accepted into Penn State DuBois and began attending practices on the weekends when I was home. The fact that I couldn't pack the game of basketball with me when I moved to college is really what made me think a little harder. I realized that I only had four years to play basketball and then it's all over. The thought The Daily Press, The Ridgway Record, and The Kane Republican D-7 of looking back, knowing that I gave up that opportunity, ultimately made my decision to transfer for basketball," Hanes said. Through everything, Hanes noted that her parents and family members had her back. "Without the support of my family, I wouldn't be where I am today," she said. "My parents have always provided me with what I've needed in life." In September of this year, she suddenly found herself without one of her biggest supporters when her mother died unexpectedly. "I lost my biggest fan, critic, coach, best friend, and mother," Hanes said. "My mom was the first person to hand me a basketball. She would give up her night just to stand out in the driveway and rebound for me. She was the first one to tell me all the things I did wrong in my game. But aside from all of that, my mom pushed me to be the best person I could be and she never gave up on me. I never admitted it, but she was my best friend and I'm so lucky to have had her as my mom." While Hanes knows her mother is with her in spirit, she indicated that one of the advantages of attending Penn State Du- Bois is that a number of her family and friends are able to attend many of her home games. "Playing basketball in DuBois definitely has its advantages," she said. "My family is able to make it to every home game and an occasional away game. I love looking up in the stands and seeing my dad and grandma. Not everyone has someone there for them, but I do. My dad has been quite the recruiter lately, as he's been filling the stands with more than a few friends this season. It's really special to know that they're all there for me." The Lady Lions have four home games scheduled for January. After starting out the new year at Westmoreland County Community College on Thursday, Jan. 7, they will return home to take on Penn State Greater Allegheny at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12. After that, they will host Penn State Brandywine at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 15 and Lorain County Community College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16. They will also be at home on Wednesday, Jan. 20 when they take on Penn State Beaver in a 6 p.m. game. As she continues to enjoy her time on the court, Hanes also offered some advice for any other young athletes considering playing basketball in college. "The best advice I can give to someone hoping to play basketball in college is to never give up on that dream," Hanes said. "One thing I've always done is work toward making myself proud. When I was really young, I would imagine myself playing for Penn State and then in the WNBA. I would announce, play-by-play, everything I was doing in the driveway. I would always make the buzzer-beater and the crowd would go wild. I set high goals for myself. Looking back now, I think of that 5-year-old version of me and I wonder if she's proud of where the 21-year-old Kristy is today. I think she is." 1. FREE PREMIUM CHANNELS for 3 mos! HBO, CINEMAX, SHOWTIME, DISH MOVIE PACK! Based on availability. 2. FREE HOPPER UPGRADE! Monthly fees apply: Hopper $12; Joey $7; Super Joey $10

8 D-8 The Daily Press, The Ridgway Record, and The Kane Republican 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE Super Shine Cleaning & Restoration 133 Hillside Drive, Ridgway PA Serving Ridgway & The Surrounding Area For Over 16 Years Super Shine Fire and Water offers the following services: WATER FULL CONTRACTING: FIRE OTHER SERVICES OFFERED: Locally Owned & Operated By: Joshua J. Amacher Sr. Offering Full Line of Furniture and Flooring Joshua Amacher, Sr. Owner/Operator Mattresses Starting at $ North Broad St., Ridgway, PA (814) todayscarpet.com