Year in Review: A look back at the local sports scene in 2012

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/12/year_in_review_a_look_back_at.html FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES Sports highlights in 2012 from Northampton, Warren and Hunterdon counties: JANUARY 14 -- Mike Pongracz of Delaware Valley is named Outstanding Wrestler and Phillipsburg wins the team title at the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex tournament at Hunterdon Central. 19 -- Joey Noonan scores 13 points as Palisades ends its 94-game Colonial League girls basketball losing streak with a 35-17 victory over Catasauqua. 21 -- Blair Academy, the nation's top-ranked team, registers five pins to beat Easton 53-6 in the NHSCA Final Four of Wrestling. 23 -- Boys basketball coach Eric Jacobs is named Director of Athletics at Delaware Valley, effective July 1. 24 -- Voorhees announces football coach Mark Priebracha will not return after going 6-24 in three seasons. FEBRUARY 4 -- Easton and Bethlehem Catholic win District 11 team wrestling titles with victories over Parkland and Pen Argyl, respectively. 4 -- Moravian Academy defeats Notre Dame East Stroudsburg 57-40 to give boys basketball coach John Donmoyer his 600th career victory in 38 seasons at Allen and Moravian. 11 -- Bethlehem Catholic defeats Boiling Springs 52-15 to win its second straight PIAA Class AA team wrestling championship in Hershey. 12 -- Phillipsburg rallies for victories in the final two bouts to defeat Brick Memorial 29-27 for the NJSIAA Group 4 wrestling championship in Toms River. 18 -- Sparked by first-place finishes by Clarissa Modde in the 3,200 and Erin Knabe in the pole vault, Voorhees captures the NJSIAA Group 2 girls state indoor track and field title in Toms River. 27 -- Longtime assistant Jeff Brosky is named football coach at Northampton. MARCH 2 -- Bangor rallies from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to upset Liberty 37-34 for its first District 11 Class AAAA girls basketball title. 2 -- Pius X beats Mahanoy Area 38-36 to win the District 11 Class A boys basketball championship, its third in school history. 4 -- Brandon Hull beats Lex Knapp of Lacey Township 7-2 to win the NJSIAA 220-pound title and become Phillipsburg's first state wrestling champion since 1996. 5 -- Alissa Tarsi scores 28 points as North Hunterdon defeats Piscataway 58-49 in double overtime to capture the NJSIAA North 2 Group 4 girls sectional basketball title. 5 -- Ed Ohlson resigns after eight seasons as boys basketball coach at Northampton. 7 -- C.J. McCollum scores 29 points and Gabe Knutson adds 23 as Lehigh defeats Bucknell 82-77 to win the Patriot League men's basketball championship in Lewisburg, Pa. 11 -- Mike Racciato of Pen Argyl wins his second straight title and Randy Cruz, Devon Cruz and Elliot Riddick give Bethlehem Catholic three gold medals at the PIAA Class AA wrestling championships. Becahi wins the team title and Jeff Karam is named state Coach of the Year. 15 -- Seth Watlington of Freedom wins the 100 breaststroke at the PIAA Class AAA swimming championships at Bucknell. 16 -- C.J. McCollum scores 30 points as 15th-seeded Lehigh upsets second-seeded Duke 75-70 in a second-round NCAA South Regional basketball game in Greensboro, N.C. 17 -- High Bridge resident and Blair Academy graduate Kellen Russell of Michigan decisions Montell Marion of Iowa 6-4 in overtime to win his second straight 141-pound NCAA wrestling championship in St. Louis. 28 -- Voorhees promotes defensive coordinator Bob Angstadt to head football coach. APRIL 4 -- Hunterdon Central softball coach Pete Fick earns his 700th career victory as the Red Devils defeat Montgomery 9-1. 9 -- Moravian College sweeps Delaware Valley in a softball doubleheader to give coach John Byrne his 600th career victory. 23 -- Bill Bisci is named girls basketball coach at Bangor. 27 -- Easton High graduate Chanelle Price of Tennessee and Voorhees graduate Lanie Thompson of Oregon win gold medals with relay teams at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. Bethlehem Catholic graduate Joe Kovacs of Penn State wins the college men's shot put with a career-best throw of 65 feet, 5 inches. MAY 12 -- Moravian Academy defeats Central Catholic 4-1 to win its fourth straight District 11 Class AA boys tennis team title. 13 -- Goalie Whitney Bercaw is named game MVP as North Hunterdon defeats Hunterdon Central 14-10 to win the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex girls lacrosse championship. 14 -- Record-setting sophomore quarterback A.J. Long withdraws from Pius X High School. 14 -- Brian Glennon resigns after 26 seasons as boys basketball coach at Hunterdon Central. 17 -- Amy Darlington and Gracie Hargrove of Liberty, Jane Lukas of Nazareth, Nathan Palmer of Freedom and Tyler Horton of Bethlehem Catholic all win two individual events at the District 11 track and field championships. 19 -- Anthony Ciavarella pitches a four-hitter as Phillipsburg defeats Hunterdon Central 2-1 to win the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex baseball title. 25 -- Bryan Pearson of Bangor wins a silver medal in the discus at the PIAA Class AAA track and field championships. 26 -- Former Notre Dame athletic director Tony Koury officially ends his 43-year career at the school. 30 -- Dan Shepherd and Dan Horvath combine on a four-hitter to lead Nazareth to a 2-1 victory over Liberty for its second straight District 11 Class AAAA baseball title. 31 -- Anthony Martino and Joey Dalessandro combine to pitch Pius X to a 5-1 victory over Tri-Valley in the District 11 Class A championship baseball game. 31 -- Erin Wilson pitches a three-hitter as Liberty defeats Emmaus 4-0 for its first District 11 Class AAAA softball title in 19 years. 31 -- Alyssa Bauer hits a pair of RBI doubles as Hunterdon Central defeats North Hunterdon 7-2 for the NJSIAA North 2 Group 4 sectional softball title. JUNE 1 -- Ronald Cruz of Bethlehem earns a unanimous 12-round decision over Prenice Brewer to win the vacant WBC Continental Americas welterweight boxing title at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center. 1 -- Winning pitcher Amanda Berezny hits a three-run triple in the ninth inning to give Warren Hills a 6-3 victory over Chatham in the NJSIAA North 2 Group 3 sectional softball championship game. 1 -- Kevin Lloyd resigns after three seasons as boys basketball coach at Phillipsburg High. 1 -- Jon Harper of Phillipsburg wins the boys 1,600 at the NJSIAA Group 4 track championships. He wins the 3,200 a day later. 2 -- Harry Brakewood of Voorhees wins the boys 3,200 and Erin Knabe of Voorhees earns gold in the girls pole vault at the NJSIAA Group 2 state track and field championships. Morgan Harvey of North Hunterdon takes the girls 100 hurdles and Ryan Potter of North Hunterdon captures the boys pole vault at the Group 4 championships. 2 -- Bethlehem Catholic rallies from a loss to York Suburban in pool play to defeat the Trojans 23-25, 25-21, 25-20, 26-24 and capture the PIAA Class AA boys volleyball championship -- the first for a District 11 team. 5 -- Pen Argyl junior high coach Ryan Wasser is named wrestling coach at Notre Dame. 10 -- Don Gentzle is promoted to boys basketball coach at Phillipsburg. 19 -- Pen Argyl names former Bethlehem Catholic coach Al Blount boys basketball coach. 21 -- Conor Gum of Pen Argyl completes 9 of 14 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns as Northampton County beats Lehigh/Monroe/Carbon 48-19 in the McDonald's Lehigh Valley All-Star Football Classic at Nazareth. Devon Jones of Liberty scores two touchdowns. 25 -- Delaware Valley names former Voorhees and Hunterdon Central coach Willie Leonardi as boys basketball coach. 28 -- North Hunterdon graduate Julie Culley wins the 5,000 meters in 15 minutes, 13.77 seconds at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore., and qualifies for the London Games. JULY 2 -- Joe Disidore replaces Connie Stambaugh as director of athletics at Pius X. 17 -- Bath defeats Nazareth 9-6 to sweep the best-of-three championship series and win its first NorCo Legion baseball title since 1992. 18 -- Nazareth High baseball coach Jon Lock announces his resignation. AUGUST 4 -- Former Liberty High and Lehigh player Matt McBride makes his major-league debut by going 2-for-4 with an RBI in the Colorado Rockies' 11-6 loss to the San Francisco Giants. 17 -- Jay Rothenhausler's eighth-inning walk-off single gives the Hellertown Royals their fourth straight Blue Mountain League championship with a 4-3 victory over the Easton Falcons. 20 -- Theresa Lang is named softball coach at Hunterdon Central, replacing Pete Fick who went 721-236-1 in a career that spanned five decades. 23 -- Noreen Mohler of Hanover Township sinks a 6-foot putt on the final hole to clinch a one-stroke victory in the 55th Senior Women's North & South Amateur in Pinehurst, N.C. 26 -- Jeff Buxton, who led Blair Academy to 32 consecutive National Prep titles, resigns as wrestling coach. SEPTEMBER 3 -- Jesse Bingaman of Nazareth defeats Lonnie Pintande of Forks Township 10 and 9 to win the Northampton Country Club men's golf championship. 30 -- Robin McCool defeats Matt Greenawald 3-and-2 in the final to win his third Lehigh Valley Amateur golf championship at Green Pond Country Club. OCTOBER 3 -- Northampton edges Emmaus by one stroke to win the District 11 Class AAA boys golf championship and Notre Dame captures the first Class AA title. 4 -- Lehigh Valley IronPigs manager Ryne Sandberg is named the Philadelphia Phillies' third base coach. 8 -- Moravian Academy sophomore Kara Chyung wins the District 11 Class AA girls tennis championship with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Aubrey Abel of Blue Mountain. 8 -- Bethlehem Catholic freshman Nick Maff and Freedom sophomore Helen Hsu win District 11 Class AAA championships in boys and girls golf, respectively. Wilson junior Collin Hagenbuch upsets Cole Miller of Northwestern on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff to capture the Class AA title. 13 -- Northwestern junior golfer Cole Miller wins the Lehigh Valley Tournament of Champions by six strokes at Blue Ridge Country Club. Robin McCool wins the seniors event. 15 -- Mia Chyung and Tasha Deb of Moravian Academy win the District 11 Class AA girls doubles tennis title with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Kayla Bohnhorst and Debbie Martin of Saucon Valley. 20 -- Moravian Academy beats Bethlehem Catholic 3-2 to win its fifth straight District 11 Class AA girls tennis team title. The Lions eventually make it all the way to the state final before losing to Mercyhurst Prep. 20 -- Voorhees wins its fourth straight Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex girls cross country championship. The Vikings also extend their streak of overall county tournament titles to 11. 20 -- Former Hackettstown football coach Charles "Chot" Morrison is posthumously inducted into the Warren County Hall of Fame -- the first sports figure chosen. 27 -- Terry Li wins the MVP award as North Hunterdon defeats Hunterdon Central 25-18, 27-25 to capture its second consecutive Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex girls volleyball title. 27 -- Sara Diacik's second-half goal gives Voorhees a 1-0 victory over High Point in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex girls soccer final. NOVEMBER 1 -- Gwinnett Braves manager Dave Brundage is named manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. 3 -- Saucon Valley junior Elizabeth Chikotas wins a silver medal in the PIAA Class AA cross country championships in Hershey. Easton sophomore Colin Abert finishes 12th in Class AAA boys race and Bangor junior Meredith Colton earns 24th-place medal in Class AAA girls. 3 -- Bethlehem Catholic beats Central Catholic 25-18, 25-21, 25-15 for the District 11 Class AA girls volleyball title. 3 -- Saucon Valley posts its 13th shutout of the season, beating Northwestern 3-0 in the District 11 Class AA girls soccer final. 3 -- Deanna DiCroce scores in overtime as Lafayette beats American 2-1 for its second straight Patriot League field hockey championship. 11 -- Lafayette beats American 2-0 to win its second straight Patriot League men's soccer title. 17 -- Pen Argyl stuns previously unbeaten Catasauqua 26-20 to win its second straight District 11 Class AA football championship. 21 -- Led by Nisa Cicitta, Clarissa Modde, Erin Seiffert, Erin McLaughlin and Shannon Carney, Voorhees captures the NJSIAA Meet of Champions girls cross country title at Holmdel Park, the Vikings third M of C title in the last six years. 22 -- Brad Wilkins throws a Thanksgiving Day game-record five touchdown passes -- three to Matt Mowad -- as Easton defeats Phillipsburg 35-18. 30 -- Travis Hepworth rushes for 154 yards and a touchdown as Warren Hills defeats Linden 21-7 to advance to the North 2 Group 4 sectional final. DECEMBER 3 -- Dave Brown announces he will not return next season as football coach at Liberty. 4 -- Frank Scagliotta resigns as Bangor football coach. 14 -- Loren Kaiser becomes Phillipsburg's first girls basketball player to score 1,000 career points as the Stateliners defeat Montgomery 82-13. 19 -- Wilson wide receiver Zack Bogoly and Pen Argyl two-way end Scott Beltz are named to The Associated Press PIAA Class AA All-State football team. 23 -- Russ Parsons and Brooks Black win individual championships while leading Blair Academy to the team title at the Beast of the East wrestling tournament in Newark, Del.