And now, the first annual Grotz Awards...
All-Delco teams always seem to touch a nerve with readers who have their ideas of which high school athletes reign supreme.
Imagine how difficult it would be to determine the best high school athlete in the county this past season. Not exactly a slamdunk.
Let’s
This is subjective. Obviously I haven’t seen every high school kid play this season. I’ve been fortunate, nonetheless, to watch a lot of the top players in several sports during work assignments.
Also, and this is hard for me to admit, I watch a lot of PCN-TV featuring local and area teams in state competitions. (Sometimes I watch just to see our reporters at the finish line).
Additionally I talk to coaches, officials and fans whose historical perspective I respect. And yes, that includes my secret source, Pop-Pop.
Bunching it all together for the recently concluded give it a try, anyway. school year, here are my finalists. Caution: Angry parents should not proceed unless under the supervision of high school athletes.
First and foremost, I can’t imagine anyone who had a more difficult journey to the top than Upper Darby wrestler Brian Kennerly, the state gold medalist at 220 pounds.
Just surviving the grueling state tournament — including the officiating — takes incredible strength and fortitude. Kennerly wrestled his way through districts and regions in one of the most competitive weight classes this year. The Daily Times wrestler of the year culled a richly deserved full ride to Virginia. He is worth the price of admission. If he wasn’t so smart, he’d have a future in the WWE.
Next is Episcopal Academy two-sport All-Delco Kyle Virbitsky, a dominant football and baseball player headed to Penn State on a baseball scholarship.
Multiple All-Delco honors for the same athlete are rarer than they once were. Virbitsky is a strong candidate for Daily Times baseball player of the year. We saw him fan six in a few innings of work in the Carpenter Cup. We’ll see his name pop up in the draft on the MLB Network some day.
On the girls’ side is Sam Swart, who led perennial PIAA state lacrosse tournament bridesmaid Archbishop Carroll to its first state title. Swart excelled despite double-teams and intense face guarding with skills and instincts well beyond many of the girls she plays against.
Swart was named the Daily Times girls lacrosse player of the year and has a full ride to Syracuse. You’ll hear a lot more about her.
Last but certainly not least is Hannah Nihill of Cardinal O’Hara, who scored over 100 career goals in field hockey and 1,000 points in basketball.
I’ll never forget the way she controlled the tempo in O’Hara’s upset of Neumann-Goretti in the PCL semifinals. Shortly thereafter, the Lions won the league title.
Two-time Daily Times hoops player of the year Nihill is off to Drexel.
Four worthy athletes, unquestionably, but my gut instinct is to make Kennerly and Nihill the male and female athletes of the year, if you will. There’s one more cut, though.
You know how I feel about Brian Kennerly.
But Hannah Nihill gets the nod for playing not one but two sports at a very high level.
Congratulations, Hannah.
Sharon Hill product Billy Werndl was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame-Delaware County Chapter this past Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Claymont, Del.
Werndl is one of the most knowledgeable and connected Delco sports enthusiasts we know. He’s in his 51st year of broadcasting, doing a show four days a week with WCHE1520 AM (2 to 3 p.m.) in West Chester, called “The Sports Chatter of Chester County.”
The guests range from Pete Rose to yours truly.
Anyone who wants to break into the sports business on any level would be well-served reading Werndl’s book “No Curveballs.”
It’s a real-time instructional manual using extraordinary life experiences and stories on how to get your foot in the door. On a personal level, despite the gruff voice, Werndl is one of the kindest and most helpful colleagues I’ve ever met.
You know you’ve made a difference, as Werndl has, when the presenter for your award is Bill White, the former MLB player, Yankee broadcaster and National League president.
Congrats, Billy.
Hey, does anyone know exactly who is responsible when the windshield of a passing motorist is cracked by a foul ball from a league baseball game?
It happened the other night, and luckily it was just a windshield and no collateral damage the motorist.
We’ve heard several possibilities ranging from the broken windshield would be a comprehensive insurance claim by the motorist, to whoever hit the foul ball is responsible if it can be proved they actually hit it, to it would be a claim on homeowners’ insurance.
Anyone who would like to shed light on this, feel free to email ... me. Address below.
Motorists also might want to adjust their routes on game nights at fields, putting their windshields at risk. involving