Chester Cougars raising funds for Nationals trip
The Chester Township Cougars organization is raising funds to send its two cheerleading squads to Cheer Nationals at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Florida next month.
The Pee Wee and Varsity squads, who cheer for the Cougars’ football teams in the Pop Warner League, would have the opportunity to compete with cheerleaders from across the country. They will be the first Cougars squads to compete in a national tournament.
Among those hoping to head to Florida are Jordyn Whitehead, Ayonna Hardy, Keyshea Twyman, Valaya Mosley, Aonyae Bailey, Janiya Freeman, Amani Bacon, Daeyahn Elliott, Janayzhia Graham, Naailah Shabazz, Harlem Redd, Zarrihya Stiles, Daimya Williams and Jahan Minter.
The Pee Wee squad is coached by Gina Minter and competes in Cheer and Hip Hop. It took first place in Hip Hop at the Pop Warner Regional in Trenton, N.J., last week.
The Varsity squad, coached by Candice Earnest, finished second in the Pom competition at the regional in Trenton.
“They have worked hard and are staying focused in school,” Earnest said. “Each girl has to come up with $1,500 to go, and we are still trying to come up with all the money needed. We have a GoFundMe account — Dancing To Disney by Charla Graham. Anyone who wants to mail donations can send them to Chester Township Cougars Organization Cheer Program, P.O. Box 110, Chester, PA 19013. The girls also will be having a family Bingo night Wednesday, Nov. 29 at the Wilson Center in Chester from 6-9 p.m.
“This would be the opportunity of a lifetime for the Pee Wees, who are known as the Fly Girls. And the Varsity — the Mighty Eight — wants to let everyone know who they are.”
Phil Wahl was an AllDelco guard for Sharon Hill’s 1965 football team.
He joined the Marines after he finished high school, and died Nov. 9, 1967 at the age of 20 while serving in Vietnam.
Friends, family, teammates, and former neighbors gathered at Wahl’s gravesite at Arlington Cemetery in Upper Darby Saturday — Veterans Day — to mark the 50th anniversary of his passing.
Ed Frescoln, one of Wahl’s teammates and the organizer of the event, recalled how Wahl was a National Honor Society member who competed in football and track, and “displayed profound character” in all that he did.
Bob Wiederwax, another former Sharon Hill athlete, recalled how the Sharon Hill football team had some concerns as it prepared to play a game against Conshohocken High.
“They had a defensive lineman who was huge for those days, about 6-3 and 250 pounds,” Wiederwax said. “Phil was maybe 5-6 and 140 pounds, but he lined up against the guy when we got the ball, and at the snap he went right at him and flipped him right over his back.”
Bob Smith proudly wore the jacket the Sharon Hill players earned for being undefeated Section Four League champions.
All who spoke mentioned that they would continue to keep the memory of Wahl’s passion for all that he did and his love of athletics, his school, and his community alive for years to come.
Rev. John Cartwright, an All-Delco quarterback at Sharon Hill as one of Wahl’s teammates and a record-breaking signal caller at the United States Naval Academy, spoke of Wahl’s “dedication and courage.”
He led the gathering in prayer, quoting the Bible verse that says “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
“Phil Wahl gave his life for his friends, and that’s why now, even 50 years later, we still remember him and what he did,” Cartwright said.
Before leaving Wahl’s gravesite, everyone placed a small American flag in the ground in front of the large monument on which is inscribed “say a prayer … for the little man who did the dying.”
The Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum, which is located at 301 Iven Avenue in Radnor, is featuring one of the cards from its newest collection of top county sports figures each week on the museum’s website at www.sportslegendsofdelawarecounty. com.
The featured card this week is of Dawn Sowell, one of the finest runners to represent Chester High track and field.
Sowell won three gold medals in helping Chester capture the district championship in 1982. In 1983, she picked up four gold medals at the district meet, then set records in winning the 100- and 200-meter dash races as well as anchoring the 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams to victory as Chester took the team title at the PIAA Championships.
At Louisiana State University, she won two gold medals and helped the Tigers to the 1989 indoor national championship and earned All-America honors after winning the 100 and 200 and leading LSU to the team title at the NCAA outdoor championship meet.
A resident of North Carolina, she is a health and wellness trainer and speaker. a motivational
The Sports Legends Museum is continuing its drive to raise funds for a statute of Radnor graduate Emlen Tunnell, a World War II hero and the first African-American elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The statue fund-raising committee plans to have the dedication ceremony in June 2018.
Additional information about the project can be found by at www.sportslegendsofdelawarecounty. com or www.emlentunnell.com.
The Delaware County Athletes Hall of Fame soon will be mailing ballots for its 2018 voting ahead of its awards dinner in April.
Anyone who has paid the Hall’s annual $20 dues fee is eligible to take part in the balloting.
Deadline for paying dues is Monday, Nov. 13. For additional information, contact Patricia Mescanti at delcohalloffame@ gmail.com or 610-793-7931.
With the fall sports seasons ending, In the Community welcomes information and pictures about junior varsity, freshman, middle school or CYO teams that have completed undefeated seasons or turned in special accomplishments.
Please make sure that anything submitted lists first and last names of all players and coaches. Also, be sure to provide first and last names of anyone as they appear in a picture.
Information and pictures can be sent to sports@delcotimes.com or to Harry Chaykun at hcgrandad@verizon.net.