Perk Valley grad makes waves at Lafayette
Perk Valley grad recognized as student and athlete despite early end to season
Justin Jaworski saw his season with the Lafayette men’s basketball team end with an injury, but the junior received some consolation earlier this month.
The 6-foot-2, 194-pound guard from Schwenksville and a Perkiomen Valley graduate was named to the Patriot League second team on March 2 and was selected at the league’s Scholar Athlete of the Year in men’s basketball on March 4.
“Justin works as hard as anyone to be successful on and off the court,” coach Fran O’Hanlon said. “He’s a great representation of what it means to be a true student-athlete at Lafayette.”
Jaworski was leading the Leopards in scoring with a 17.1 average, but his season came to an end when he injured his knee in a game against Army on Feb. 12. He leads the league in 3-point percentage, hitting 62 of 172 (36 percent). He recorded a pair of 30-point plus games during the season – 31 in a 94-71 victory over St. Joseph’s on Dec. 3 in Philadelphia and 32 in 82-70 triumph over American on Feb. 1. Both were league games.
Jaworski earned All-Patriot third team as a sophomore after finishing second in Division I in 3-point shooting percentage (48.8) and was second in the league in free throw percentage (87.8). He led the Leopards in scoring with a 14.4 average.
In the classroom, Jaworski carries a 3.75 grade point average in economics. JORDAN WOOD (BOYERTOWN) » The senior with junior eligibility captured his third straight 285 pound title to help the Lehigh wrestling team win its third straight
Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) title last weekend in Bethlehem. Wood had a fall and two decisions before topping No. 1 seed Yaraslau Slauvikoski 9-2 in the title bout. He will take a 17-5 record with nine pins and four major decisions into the NCAA Championship March 19-21 in Minneapolis, Md. Wood earned AllAmerican honors when he finished fourth in last year’s NCAAs and just missed out the year before having had to drop out in the round of 12 because of an injury.
GREGG HARVEY (BOYERTOWN) » University of Pittsburgh redshirt junior Harvey clinched his first trip to the NCAA Championships with a third-place finish at the ACC Championships over the weekend in Pittsburgh. Harvey fell in the semifinals to North Carolina’s Clay Lautt in a 5-4 tiebreaker but bounced back with wins in the consolation semifinals (8-3 over Virginia’s Victor Marcelli) and placed third in the medal match with a 7-4 decision of Virginia Tech’s Cody Hughes. Harvey is 17-8 on the season.
JIMMY FRATANTONI (OWEN J. ROBERTS) » The Muhlenberg senior didn’t win the title at 184 pounds, but he finished third in the Mideast Regionals Feb. 29-March 1 in Ithaca, N.Y. to earn a trip to the NCAA Division III Championship next weekend in Cedar Rapids, IA. Fratantoni won his first two matches with a major decision and a pin, but dropped a tough 1-0 decision in the semifinals. He came back score a pair of decisions to earn the consolation title. On the season, Fratantoni is 27-7 overall and 13-3 in dual matches with four pins and seven technical falls. CHRISTIAN KELLY (PHOENIXVILLE) » The 6-foot-4 senior guard was named to the PSAC East first team for his outstanding season with the Lock Haven men’s basketball team, the Bald Eagles finishing 12-15 overall and 9-13 in league play. Kelly led the team in minutes played (969), scoring (20.9), rebounding (7.9) and blocked shots (46). He also had 59 assists and 27 steals and had eight doubledoubles. He finished his career with 1,141 points, which ranks 31st in team history. TONEE ELLIS (METHACTON) » The true freshman is heading to the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship this weekend in Cedar
Rapids, IA after finishing second at 197 pounds at the Southeast Regionals Feb. 28-29 in Grantham. Ellis posted a 10-0 major decision in the first round, a 3-2 decision in the quarterfinals and a 6-5 decision in the semifinals. He was pinned in the title match. Ellis will take a 26-9 record with four pins, a technical fall and five major decisions into the Nationals. DARNELL RANDALL (PERKIOMEN VALLEY) » The East Stroudsburg senior was named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) team on March 2 in two events – the long jump and the high jump. Randall finished first in the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 11½ inches and was fifth in the high jump with a height of 6 feet, 4 inches at the PSAC Indoor Track Championship on Feb. 29-March 1 in Edinboro. He stands second in the long jump and eighth in the high jump in the Warriors’ record book. MINUETTE LAESSIG (PERKIOMEN SCHOOL) » The senior from Barto kicked off the spring season with the Lehigh women’s golf team at the Battle at Boulder Tournament Feb. 10-11 in Boulder City, NV. She recorded three birdies in her final round for an 85 to go along with rounds of 85 and 84 for a 254 total which was good for 15th place. Laessig closed out the fall season by finishing sixth out of 56 golfers in the Lehigh Invitational on Nov. 21-22 in Bethlehem. She posted rounds of 78 and 76 for a 154 total.
DEB PEIFER (MECHACTON) » The 5-foot-6 senior midfielder has scored seven goals, picked up an assist and has 10 ground balls, 10 draw controls and four caused turnovers for the Manhattan women’s lacrosse team, the Jaspers 2-4 after a 10-9 overtime loss to Lehigh on March 4 in Easton. Peifer had a goal in that game and had three goals, three draw controls, two ground balls and a caused turnover in a 12-11 overtime victory over La Salle to open the season on Feb. 8 in Riverdale, N.Y. All three of her goals came in the second half. TANNER LEE (BOYERTOWN) » The 5-foot-11 senior attack leads the Georgian Court men’s lacrosse team in scoring, the Lions 4-4 after a 10-7 loss to No. 6-ranked Seton Hall last Saturday in Greensburg. Lee, who has started all eight games, has six goals and 18 assists and has picked up a least one assist in all eight games. He had two goals and four assists in a 22-8 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas on March 2. Senior Dylan Pool (Perkiomen Valley) has come off the bench in all eight games for the Lions and has three goals and four assists. NATALIE STABILITO (BOYERTOWN) » The sophomore had a solid effort as the Moravian women’s indoor track team captured its third straight Landmark Conference title on Feb. 29 in Selinsgrove. She finished second in the mile with a time of 5:16.07 and was third in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:25.83. Stabilito posted a personal best time of 5:11.70 when she finished second at the All-Atlantic Cross Country Track & Field Championship last weekend in Rochester, N.Y. Eastern’s Katelyn Bernotas (Owen J. Roberts) won the race in a personal best time of 5:03.98.
ZACH KARDOS (OWEN J. ROBERTS) » The sophomore helped the Elizabethtown men’s track team finish second in the Landmark Conference Indoor Championship Feb. 29 in Selinsgrove. Kardos and the DMR finish first with a time of 10:47.84 and ran a leg on the 4x400 relay which finished fifth in 3:33.35. He warmed up for the league championship at the DuCharme Invitational on Feb. 23 in Carlisle by finishing second in the 400 meter dash in 55.04 and fifth in the 500 meter dash in 1:12.93.