Winning numbers drawn in 'Cash4Life' game

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WVC Girls Basketball: Lisa Radziak has big night as Nanticoke Area remains unbeaten

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; 2016 was filled with heart-stopping wins and agonizing defeats, but one thing is for sure, the Wyoming Valley is rich with athletic talent.</p><p>Here&#8217;s a list of the top 10 sports stories of the year, which have been compiled by the Times Leader sports staff.</p><p><strong>1. George Curry dies</strong></p><p>Not only did the area lose a coaching legend, but the state did as well when the former Berwick head football coach died on April 1 from complications of ALS. He was 71.</p><p>Curry finished his career with a 455-99-5 record, the most coaching victories in Pennsylvania high school football. He won six PIAA state championships, a record that was broken in 2015 by Southern Columbia&#8217;s Jim Roth.</p><p>Curry started his coaching career at Lake-Lehman in 1967. After four seasons, he moved to Berwick in 1971 and turned the program into a powerhouse that was recognized both in the state and across the nation. USA Today named Berwick the mythical national champions in 1983, 1992 and 1994.</p><p>Curry announced his retirement in 2005, but it didn&#8217;t last long as he returned at Wyoming Valley West in 2006. He retired from coaching in 2008, citing health concerns.</p><p>Gary Campbell Jr. took over at Berwick in 2006, but resigned a few months before the start of official practice in 2012. Curry took the job on an interim basis and stayed there four years. The Dawgs made four appearances in the D2-3A championship game, winning the title in 2013.</p><p>As the 2015 season approached, Curry&#8217;s health began to worsen. He wanted to coach Berwick in 2016, citing a senior class he believed was loaded with talent, but he knew he was physically unable to do so. He announced he was stepping down just minutes after Berwick lost 37-7 to Scranton Prep in the 2015 District 2 Class 3A championship game.</p><p><strong>2. Penn State resurgence</strong></p><p>Raise your hand if you predicted Penn State would win the Big Ten championship in 2016, just four years removed from severe sanctions. Fueled by a new offense, the Nittany Lions won nine straight, knocking off a pair of top-10 teams in Ohio State and Wisconsin to claim their fourth conference title and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl.</p><p><strong>3. Hazleton&#8217;s Joe Maddon leads Chicago Cubs to World Series</strong></p><p>Hazleton native Joe Maddon led the charge as the Chicago Cubs won their first World Series since 1908. The kid from 11th Street led the Cubs back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Cleveland Indians in seven games. The Indians hadn&#8217;t been in the World Series since 1997.</p><p><strong>4. RailRiders win championship</strong></p><p>The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders won the franchise&#8217;s second Governors&#8217; Cup and first-ever Triple-A National Championship, beating the El Paso Chihuahuas, of the Pacific Coast League, 3-1 in a one-game playoff. The RailRiders won a franchise-record 91 games in 2016 and saw players like catcher Gary Sanchez, first baseman Tyler Austin and outfielder Aaron Judge get promoted to the New York Yankees in August to find success with the big-league club.</p><p><strong>5. Holy Redeemer softball wins 2nd straight state title</strong></p><p>Better late than never. That was the story of Holy Redeemer&#8217;s second consecutive PIAA Class 2A championship. The Royals and District 9 champ Moniteau had to wait over two hours from the original start time to play due to rain at Penn State. Once the game started, Redeemer quickly ended Moniteau&#8217;s 11-game shutout streak on the way to a 9-3 victory. Morgan Bienkowski had four hits for Redeemer.</p><p><strong>6. State title runs </strong></p><p>Lake-Lehman&#8217;s Dominic Hockenburry wrapped up his stellar high school running career by winning his third straight state championship in the boys Class 2A 3,200 run in May. With two cross country gold medals to go with his state track hardware, Hockenbury was one of the most decorated runners in PIAA championship history.</p><p>Despite the pressure, the Dallas boys had five finishers in the top 37, to defend their Class 2A cross country state title.</p><p>Junior Jack Zardecki finished in seventh place, Josh Wyandt placed 30th, Adam Borton was 33rd, Jason Culp was 35th and Mitchell Rome 37th.</p><p><strong>7. WBS Penguins/coach help Pittsburgh win Stanley Cup</strong></p><p>When the Pittsburgh Penguins turned to Mike Sullivan and brought him up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to turn their season around last December, he turned to several AHL Penguins to give him a hand. Making the leap from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to Pittsburgh were goaltender Matt Murray and forwards Scott Wilson, Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust and Tom Kuhnhackl - all of who played key roles in Pittsburgh&#8217;s Stanley Cup championship.</p><p>Murray was in net for most of Pittsburgh&#8217;s championship run and posted a 15-6 record, Sheary had four goals and 10 points and Kuhnhackl had five points while providing a two-way game.</p><p>The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton connection remains in Pittsburgh as an integral part of the Penguins&#8217; attempt to repeat this season as Stanley Cup champions.</p><p><strong>8. Field Hockey Olympians</strong></p><p>Wyoming Seminary grads Kelsey Kolojejchick and Kat Sharkey and Dallas grad Paige Selenski traveled with Team USA Field Hockey to Brazil to take part in the Rio Olympics. Team USA won its first three games for the most wins by an Olympic team in USA field hockey history before dropping its final two games to finish fourth. That left the Wyoming Valley trio just shy of finishing their dream run with an Olympic medal, but the stirring run, by all accounts, wound up inspiring hundreds of young fans throughout the Wyoming Valley to pick up sticks and give the sport a shot.</p><p><strong>9. Wotherspoon, McGrath playing for local pro teams</strong></p><p>Crestwood grad Matt Wotherspoon became the first WVC player to pitch for the hometown Triple-A baseball team when he took the mound for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in May. Wotherspoon went 2 2/3 innings giving up one hit and struck out three in his debut, and ended up with four saves and a victory in three stints with the RailRiders.</p><p>Shavertown native Patrick McGrath also became the first locally-born player to make the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins opening night roster out of training camp. McGrath spent most of his first three years with the organization in Wheeling, where he established himself as one of the most physical players in the ECHL. That quality earned him a spot with the Penguins, playing for the team he grew up watching.</p><p><strong>10. Holy Redeemer girls volleyball hits milestone</strong></p><p>The Royals won their 10th straight district title and advanced to the state semifinals for the first time since 2009. In the process, they ran their WVC winning streak to 188 consecutive matches before the historic spree was ended by North Pocono in September. That didn&#8217;t deter the Royals from continuing their decade-long district dominance.</p><p><strong>Honorable mention list:</strong></p><p>&#8226; Two Hazleton Area pitchers were selected in the 2016 MLB Draft. <strong>Dante Biasi</strong> was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and decided not to sign, <strong>Tony Hernandez</strong> signed with the Yankees</p><p>&#8226; Hazleton Area&#8217;s <strong>Jimmy Hoffman&#8217;s</strong> runner-up finish in the PIAA wrestling championships</p><p>&#8226; <strong>Tunkhannock wrestling</strong> became just the second WVC Class 3A team to win a dual at the PIAA team championship in the 20-year history of the state team tournament</p><p>&#8226; Noxen resident <strong>Tony Hudak</strong> became the fifth person ever to harvest a gobbler in all 49 states where turkeys exist</p><p>&#8226; Wyoming Area&#8217;s <strong>Brianna Pizzano</strong> won the school&#8217;s first-ever District 2 tennis singles title</p><p>&#8226; Meyers&#8217; <strong>Raheem Twyman</strong> won the PIAA Class 2A 300 hurdles championship in his final season</p><p>&#8226; Three-time state quarterfinalist girls basketball coach <strong>Chris Parker</strong> was fired from Holy Redeemer after leading the Royals to the District 2 Class 2A title</p><p>&#8226; The <strong>Dallas boys soccer</strong> won its first district title since 2007</p><p>&#8226; The <strong>Swoyersville American Legion baseball</strong> team won its second state title in 3 years.</p><p>&#8226; For the first time in NASCAR history, rain forced the postponement of two <strong>Sprint Cup races</strong> and also an IndyCar series race at Pocono Raceway</p><p>&#8226; <strong>Holy Redeemer girls volleyball&#8217;s</strong> 188-match win streak was snapped by Delaware Valley</p><p>&#8226; Former Wilkes coach <strong>Frank Sheptock</strong> took over as Berwick&#8217;s football following the death of Curry and led the Bulldogs to the District 2 finals</p><p>&#8226; For the first time, the <strong>District 2 boys and girls basketball championship games </strong>in all classes were held at Mohegan Sun Arena</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Berwick icon George Curry passed away after battling ALS holding the most victories of any high school football coach in Pennsylvania history. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Berwick-Media-Day_1b.jpg</photo0><caption0>Berwick icon George Curry passed away after battling ALS holding the most victories of any high school football coach in Pennsylvania history. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis file photo | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_MannyBowenROSES.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Penn State safety Marcus Allen celebrates the Nittany Lions&#8217; resurgence with an appearance in the Rose Bowl. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_MannyBowenROSES.jpg</photo1><caption1>Penn State safety Marcus Allen celebrates the Nittany Lions&#8217; resurgence with an appearance in the Rose Bowl. </caption1><photoCredit1>Joe Hermitt | PennLive.com via AP </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Maddon-Cubs-WorldSeries.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Chicago Cubs&#8217; Ben Zobrist, right, and manager Joe Maddon, a Hazleton native, celebrate after Game 7 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Maddon-Cubs-WorldSeries.jpg</photo2><caption2>Chicago Cubs&#8217; Ben Zobrist, right, and manager Joe Maddon, a Hazleton native, celebrate after Game 7 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians. </caption2><photoCredit2>David J. Phillip | AP file photo </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-2.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders&#8217; manager Al Pedrique and his wife Marla carry the Triple A National Championship back to PNC Field. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Railriders-Homecoming-2.jpeg</photo3><caption3>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders&#8217; manager Al Pedrique and his wife Marla carry the Triple A National Championship back to PNC Field. </caption3><photoCredit3>Tony Callaio file photo | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL060216redeemer5CMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Holy Redeemer&#8217;s softball team celebrates a win over Mid Valley for the school&#8217;s second conseutive PIAA championship. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL060216redeemer5CMYK.jpg</photo4><caption4>Holy Redeemer&#8217;s softball team celebrates a win over Mid Valley for the school&#8217;s second conseutive PIAA championship. </caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger file photo |Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Jack-ZardeckiCMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dallas cross country runner Jack Zardecki finished seventh at states to help lead the Mountaineers to their second straight PIAA title. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Jack-ZardeckiCMYK.jpg</photo5><caption5>Dallas cross country runner Jack Zardecki finished seventh at states to help lead the Mountaineers to their second straight PIAA title. </caption5><photoCredit5>Times Leader file photo </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_kelsey-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wyoming Seminary grad Kelsey Kolojejchick was part of Team USA Field Hockey&#8217;s competitive run at the 2016 Summer Olympics. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_kelsey-2.jpg</photo6><caption6>Wyoming Seminary grad Kelsey Kolojejchick was part of Team USA Field Hockey&#8217;s competitive run at the 2016 Summer Olympics. </caption6><photoCredit6>Dario Lopez-Mills | AP file photo </photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL050916Railriders3-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Crestwood grad Matt Wotherspoon became the first WVC player to pitch for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL050916Railriders3-1-.jpg</photo7><caption7>Crestwood grad Matt Wotherspoon became the first WVC player to pitch for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. </caption7><photoCredit7>Sean McKeag file photo | Times Leader </photoCredit7></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Even in his passing, George Curry&#8217;s still No. 1</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Times Leader staff</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Times Leader sports at 570-991-6397 or on Twitter @tlsports.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Times Leader’s top 10 stories of 2016