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High school blowouts can be awkward both ways

BELLWOOD — Friday night was a special one for Bellwood-Antis coach Jim Swaney, who won his 500th game as a head coach. But as happy and emotional as he was after the game, he likely felt somewhat awkward during it. His Lady Blue Devils overwhelmed a rebuilding Moshannon Valley team that was devastated by graduation after earning home games in the District 6 Class 2A playoffs the past two seasons by 89 points. The Damsels are learning on the fly at the varsity level due to a lack of numbers, and they aren’t alone. “We don’t have a JV team, because we only have nine ...

Giger: Bad week, bad signs for PSU basketball

UNIVERSITY PARK — There was a distinct sound of bricks being thrown at the basket as Penn State started Saturday’s game 0-for-12, and the end of the disappointing loss to Wisconsin brought about the sound of people starting to jump off the Nittany Lion bandwagon. Maybe that’s unfair — to start getting serious doubts about a solid team that’s done a lot of good things this season. This is still a team that has a very good shot at making the NCAA Tournament. But this is Penn State basketball. It’s hard for casual fans to get interested in the team in the first place because ...

Goodman Shaffer: Hikes inspire celebration of state parks

Another new year (and an exciting new decade) is under way. For many of us, 2020 began with a hike at a Pennsylvania State Park. The First Day Hike initiative has become a tradition in our region and around the nation, one that’s growing every year. By the numbers: since 2012, all 50 states have cooperatively sponsored First Day Hikes. This year, 39 Pennsylvania parks hosted events, topping the 2019 total of more than 7,755 miles hiked by nearly 3,000 human participants (plus more than 130 dogs). Local events have been supported by “Friends” chapters of the Pennsylvania ...

DALLAS — After the Gatorade dousing of James Franklin and all the colorful confetti had fallen to celebrate Penn State’s 53-39 Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis, the Nittany Lions staged a mini-dance party in their locker room. Yes, they regretted the two losses this season, especially at Minnesota, but it was clear that, to a man, the satisfaction of finishing 11-2 overshadowed any lingering disappointment. “We had some hiccups, some tough losses, and sometimes coming out flat,” defensive end Shaka Toney said, “but I don’t think anybody can be mad about an 11-2 team that ...

Memphis has impressive showing in defeat

DALLAS — How about a tip of the cap — or cowboy hat given where the game was played — to the Memphis Tigers. To be honest, I thought they were on the verge of getting blown out. Memphis started out well, but once Penn State figured out it could run at will and grabbed a 28-13 lead, there wasn’t much reason to believe the Tigers could regroup. This is a team that lost its head coach, Mike Norvell, and defensive coordinator, Adam Fuller, to Florida State a few weeks ago. A Group of Five team that doesn’t have anywhere near the overall talent that Penn State has. A team ...

Keep your head in the game: Lions will need right mindset against Memphis

DALLAS — The bowl season, especially the non-College Football Playoff games, can be littered with duds. Witness the 14-0 (lack of) effort Miami — the U, not of Ohio — mailed in during Thursday’s Independence Bowl loss to Louisana Tech that resulted in the Hurricanes’ offensive ...