Trio of area players on West squad

The rosters for the 2009 PSFCA East/West All-Star game were announced Friday afternoon.

The coverage area will be represented with three players not on the East side but on the West squad. Cumberland Valley's Nate Morris was selected as an offensive lineman while Trinity will send Christian Kuntz and Billy Phillipy. The Shamrocks were selected as a wide receiver and tight end, respectively.

Morris makes sense as a member of the West as the District 3 Class AAAA teams qualify for the PIAA Championships through that half of the bracket but District 3 Class AA remains in the east in terms of state bracketing. That doesn't make a lot of sense but the most important thing is that the area is represented in the ninth annual game, which will be played at Altoona's Mansion Park Stadium on Friday, June 19 at 6 p.m.

All three players were named first-team All-Sentinel and will continue their playing careers in college. Kuntz will head to Big Ten champion Penn State University while Phillipy plans to attend the University at Albany, the defending NEC champion.

Morris will join Pennsylvania's all-team leading rusher, Jeremiah Young of Steelton-Highspire, at Bucknell University this fall.

Click here for the complete East/West roster.

All-Sentinel Defense

First Team
Player of the Year – Ben Anderson, sr., Mechanicsburg
Defensive line – Tate Moore-Jacobs, jr., Cedar Cliff
Defensive line – Jeff Goyette, jr., Trinity
Defensive line – Jeremy Starner, sr., Boiling Springs
Linebacker – Richard Bullis, Carlisle
Linebacker – Travis Friend, jr., Cumberland Valley
Linebacker – Jared Mizak, Cumberland Valley
Linebacker – Matt Connors, jr., Trinity
Defensive back – Luke Barricklow, sr., Northern
Defensive back – Christian Kuntz, sr., Trinity
Defensive back – Ethan Noss, jr., Red Land
Defensive back – Sean Kelly, sr., Cedar Cliff
Punter – Chad Christen, sr., Red Land
Returner – Robbie Bleiler, sr., Northern

Second Team
Defensive line – Nate Hinkle, sr., Cumberland Valley
Defensive line – Travis Polillo, sr., Mechanicsburg
Defensive line – Matt Murphy, sr., Northern
Linebacker – Max Liddell, sr., Red Land
Linebacker – Chris Parthemore, sr., Cedar Cliff
Linebacker – Colt Kostelac, sr., Trinity
Linebacker – Ted Spinelli, sr., Trinity
Defensive back – Terrance Bennett, sr., Carlisle
Defensive back – Devon Hensel, sr., Mechanicsburg
Defensive back – Chaz Sheaffer, jr., West Perry
Punter – Matt Spiegel, sr., Camp Hill
Returner – Trevor Harman, jr., Cumberland Valley

Sectional Time Schedule

Below is a look at the tentative schedule for Saturday's sectional round of the District 3 individual wrestling tournament. Sections that include area schools are shown. Click here for a list of where all schools are going Saturday.

Class AA Section III at Susquenita
Preliminaries, 9 a.m.
Wrestle backs and finals, 5:30 p.m.
* Consolation finals will be wrestled on two mats by the finals on one mat.

Class AAA Section I at Mechanicsburg
Preliminaries, 9 a.m.
Wrestle backs and finals, 5:30 p.m.
* Consolation finals will be wrestled on two mats by the finals on one mat.

Class AAA Section II at Central Dauphin East
Preliminaries, 9 a.m.
Wrestle backs and finals, 5:30 p.m.
* Consolation finals will be wrestled on two mats by the finals on one mat.

Team Championships time schedule

It's a full day of wrestling Friday and half a day Saturday as the PIAA Team Championships invade Giant Center. Local entrant Cumberland Valley (15-3) continues its quest for a state title at 10 a.m. against unbeaten District 10 champion Erie Cathedral Prep.

A win there sends the Eagles to the quarterfinals opposite WPIAL (District 7) champion Bethel Park at 2 p.m. A loss in either round sends CV to the consolation bracket, where it will have to wrestle at 6 p.m. and, with a win, again at 8 p.m.

Below a complete time schedule for the weekend:

FRIDAY
8 a.m.
Class AA second round
10 a.m.
Class AAA second round
Noon
Class AA quarterfinals
2 p.m.
Class AAA quarterfinals
4 p.m.
Class AA consolation first round
6 p.m.
Class AAA consolation first round
8 p.m.
Class AA and AAA consolation quarterfinals

SATURDAY
9 a.m.
Class AA and AAA semifinals
11 a.m.
Class AA and AAA consolation semifinals
1 p.m.
Class AA and AAA consolation finals and state championships

Couch set on Navy

According to Rivals.com, a national recruiting Web site, East Pennsboro center Matt Couch made a verbal commitment to Navy on Monday.

The 6-foot-2, 260-pound lineman selected Navy over Army, the Web site reported.

Couch helped the Panthers return to the District 3 Class AAA playoffs for the first time since 2002 this fall. East Penn lost its first-round playoff game to top-seeded Mechanicsburg, 35-7, to finish 5-6.

Couch will join a Navy team fresh off an 8-5 season in coach Ken Niumatalolo's first season. The Midshipmen dropped a 29-19 decision to Wake Forest in the EagleBank Bowl on Dec. 20.

Navy has a rough schedule in 2009 with notable games at Ohio State, at Pittsburgh, vs. Wake Forest, at Notre Dame and at Hawaii plus the Commander-and-Chief's rivalry games with Air Force and Army.