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Swoyersville Legion ready to take another shot at state tournament

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Little League: Greater Pittston Area eliminated from Major Baseball state tournament

<p>The Keystone State Games opened in Luzerne County Thursday with senior players filling the field for the only sport of the day - pickleball.</p><p>As action began to move into more sports at more venues Friday, the Keystone Games started skewing younger.</p><p>The new-look field hockey tournament got underway at Wyoming Seminary&#8217;s Klassner Field and Nesbitt Stadium.</p><p>While U16 and U19 teams began pool play on the full field at the stadium, Klassner Field was split into two smaller fields to make way for the youngest field hockey teams ever to compete in the 38-year history of the games.</p><p>The U10/U12 tournament was played in its entirety with PA Revolution Steel from Hummelstown defeating a local team, the Majestyx, 4-0, in the final.</p><p>Keystone Games field hockey play made the transition this season from regional all-star teams in divisions based on school grades to co-sponsoring an age-group club tournament with USA Field Hockey.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re running it just a little different,&#8221; said Sylvia Leffler-Shunk, the field hockey director for the games, noting that participation is already up from last year&#8217;s format. &#8220;We&#8217;re hoping we&#8217;re going to build on that.&#8221;</p><p>One area of growth is at the youngest age group with the Keystone Games following the trend of the sport being introduced to more players at an earlier age.</p><p>Past games started competition on the junior high level.</p><p>Four U12 teams entered the tournament and the Electric Surge, another local club, also entered its U10 team for a tournament that did not materialize. Undeterred, the Surge U10 team played with the four older teams in the day&#8217;s round-robin schedule.</p><p>Playing 7-on-7 games on the smaller fields, the Revolution dominated, going 5-0 and not allowing a goal.</p><p>The Majestyx went 3-1 in round-robin play, winning a pair of one-goal games and allowing just one goal total in their three wins.</p><p>The Stroud Mounties went 2-2. The Electric Surge U12s were 1-3 while the U10s were winless.</p><p>The Mounties beat the Surge, 2-1, in the bronze medal game.</p><p>&#8220;It has changed greatly,&#8221; said Amanda Costello, a volunteer who ran the U12 portion of the tournament. &#8220;They&#8217;re playing younger and younger.&#8221;</p><p>And Friday, they got to play in a special setting.</p><p>&#8220;I think with the reputation that Seminary has with multiple state championships,&#8221; Costello said, &#8220;for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders to be playing on this field, it&#8217;s a big deal for them.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a different experience than a grass field. It&#8217;s a good experience for them to get out on the turf.&#8221;</p><p>Costello said some of the better players from Friday&#8217;s U12 tournament are also on the roster of U14 teams that begin play Saturday.</p><p>The Electric Surge, a local club, is responsible for six of the 21 teams entered. It also has two teams entered at the U16 level and is the only club represented in every age group.</p><p>In U-16 openers Friday: PA Revolution Cobalt defeated Firestyx from Emmaus, 3-1; and Blue Lions from State College defeated Electric Surge-1, 4-0.</p><p>The Firestyx then defeated Electric Surge-1, 6-0.</p><p>Electric Surge won a battle of local teams in a U-19 opener, beating West Side Styx, 1-0.</p><p>In other U-19 openers: Valley Girls from Easton edged Firestyx, 3-2; and Harriers FHC, primarily from the central part of the state, routed the Hazleton Jaksytx, 9-0.</p><p>In later games: Valley Girls ripped Hazleton Jaksytx, 17-0; Firestyx shut out Electric Surge, 7-0; and Harriers shut out West Side, 3-0.</p><p>Saturday&#8217;s action consists entirely of pool play, progressing toward Sunday afternoon&#8217;s championship games in U14, U16 and U19.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Cyan Condrack of the Firestyx (left) and Emma Gadison of the Electric Surge battle for control of the ball during a U16 Keystone State Games field hockey contest on Friday at Klassner Field in Kingston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_CSV_6556-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Cyan Condrack of the Firestyx (left) and Emma Gadison of the Electric Surge battle for control of the ball during a U16 Keystone State Games field hockey contest on Friday at Klassner Field in Kingston. </caption0><photoCredit0>Joe Soprano | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_ttl072719SKGFieldHockey-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Electric Surge&#8217;s Marina Czavarello (left) and Sachiko Price of the Firestyx chase a loose ball during a U16 Keystone State Games field hockey contest on Klassner Field on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_ttl072719SKGFieldHockey-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Electric Surge&#8217;s Marina Czavarello (left) and Sachiko Price of the Firestyx chase a loose ball during a U16 Keystone State Games field hockey contest on Klassner Field on Friday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Joe Soprano | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Robinson</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Club teams clash in Keystone Games field hockey play in Kingston