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Athlete of the Week

Mirror Male Athlete of the Week: Helsel showing off versatility

Name: Ty Helsel School: Central Age: 17 Grade: Senior Sport: Baseball Athlete of the week achievement: Helsel finished the week 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored and had scoreless outings on the mound in both of Central’s victories over Mohawk and Fairview that put the Scarlet Dragons into the PIAA semifinals. Season update: Helsel is batting .443 with 24 RBIs and four doubles. He’s 3-0 on the mound, has 25 strikeouts and has not allowed an earned run in nine outings. Coach A.J. Hoenstine’s quote: “He’s been versatile. He plays first, he’s a fantastic ...

Mirror Female Athlete of the Week: C-K’s Francona making impact

Name: Bella Francona School: Claysburg-Kimmel Age: 14 Grade: Freshman Sport: Softball Athlete of the week achievement: Francona went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and scored both runs for Claysburg-Kimmel in a 2-0 win over South Williamsport that put the Lady Bulldogs in the PIAA semifinals. She also tripled and scored a run in a 9-0 victory over Upper Dauphin in the first round of the PIAA tournament. Season update: Francona is batting .459 with 15 RBIs, three doubles, three triples and a home run for the 20-4 Lady Bulldogs. Coach Mike Barbarini’s quote: “Bella is a ...

Athlete of the Week: Muffie provides ‘O’ for Altoona

Name: Lucas Muffie School: Altoona Area Age: 18 Grade: Senior Sport: Baseball Athlete of the week achievement: Muffie hit a two-out, two-run home run on an 0-2 pitch to account for Altoona’s only two runs in a 2-0 PIAA Class 6A subregional victory over McDowell on Thursday. Season update: Muffie is batting a team-high .391 with 37 RBIs and 11 doubles for the Mountain Lions, who will play WPIAL runner-up Upper St. Clair today at Mansion Park at 4 p.m. in the first round of the PIAA playoffs. Coach Tom Smith’s quote: “He’s been in the No. 3 spot the whole year, and ...

Alwine pitches Lions to title

Name: Evan Alwine School: Altoona Area Age: 17 Grade: Junior Sport: Baseball Athlete of the week achievement: Alwine pitched Altoona to a 10-0 win over State College in the District 6 Class 6A championship. He scattered five hits, struck out eight and walked two. He also went 2-for-4 and scored a run. His single in the sixth ended the game on the 10-run rule. Season update: In eight starts for the 14-5 Mountain Lions, Alwine is 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA. He has 52 strikeouts and 15 walks in 42+ innings. Defensively, he has not made an error whether pitching or playing first base. ...

Peterson, Glendale reach final

Name: Madison Peterson School: Glendale Age: 15 Grade: Freshman Sport: Softball Athlete of the week achievement: Peterson pitched Glendale to wins over Bishop McCort (7-1) and Ferndale (4-2) in the District 6 Class 1A quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. She combined to strike out 27 batters and walk four. She gave up three earned runs and 11 hits in 14 innings. In the win over McCort, she went 2-for-4. Season update: Peterson is 8-0 for the 16-1 Lady Vikings, with an ERA of 0.90 in 46+ innings. She has 69 strikeouts and 13 walks. Offensively, she is batting .364 with ...

Red Devils follow George’s lead

Name: Abigail George School: Central Cambria Age: 17 Grade: Junior Sport: Track and field Athlete of the week achievement: George won the 800-meter run in 2:20.13 and was a member of Central Cambria’s 1600 and 3200 district championship relay teams. Season update: George will compete in all three events at the PIAA championships Friday and Saturday. Going into the District 6 meet, Central Cambria’s 3200-relay team was the top ranked squad in Class 2A in the state. Coach Randy Wilson’s quote: “She came into this season hyper-focused and hyper-determined to see what ...