DUNCANSVILLE – A minor collision left two buses full of Hollidaysburg Area School District students stranded for over an hour as the district scrambled to find an alternative bus on Monday afternoon According to Assistant Superintendent Tracy Boone a vehicle struck the rear bumper of two buses ferrying senior and junior high students home from school as the buses traveled south along Plank Road past VIVE Collision in Duncansville No students or staff suffered any injuries during the collision but the status of the inciting driver and their vehicle was unknown as of 4:30 p.m according to junior high Assistant Principal Jennifer McConnell The collison left plastic debris from the involved vehicle strewn across both lanes of Plank Road and a minor dent in the rear bumper of the right-lane bus Members of the Allegheny Township Fire Department Hollidaysburg Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police Troop G arrived at the scene shortly after the collision to assess the situation and direct traffic as both lanes of Plank Road southbound were temporarily blocked by the buses McConnell was on scene to coordinate the handoff of students to their parents and to shepherd the remaining children onto a new bus to take them home She said that both buses were “fine” from the collision and did not anticipate any delays or disruptions to student bus service on Tuesday Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535 Copyright © 2025 Central Pennsylvania Newspapers LLC | https://www.altoonamirror.com | 301 Cayuga Ave. Pa (WJAC) — Emergency officials in Blair County say an early morning fire severely damaged a home in Hollidaysburg on Thursday Fire officials say crews from Lakemont and Allegheny Township were dispatched to the blaze at a home along the 700 block of North Juniata Street Firefighters say crews remained on scene for approximately two hours while they worked to extinguish the smoke and flames Officials with the Lakemont Fire Department say no injuries were reported. 911 dispatchers note that a state police fire marshal has been called in to investigate the cause. South Fayette forward Ryan Oldaker moves past a Hollidaysburg defender during a PIAA Class 5A quarterfinal game Saturday, March 15, 2025, at Armstrong High School. The Lions beat Hollidaysburg, 70-52. South Fayette guad Ella Vierra attempts to prevent Hollidaysburg guard Makenna Weimert from getting off a shot during a PIAA Class 5A quarterfinal game Saturday, March 15, 2025, at Armstrong High School. The Lions beat Hollidaysburg, 70-52. South Fayette’s Juliertte Leroux puts up a shot against Hollidaysburg during in a PIAA Class 5A quarterfinal Saturday, March 15, 2025, at Armstrong. Leroux scored a game-high 21 points for the Lions. South Fayette’s Lailah Wright goes up for a layup during a PIAA Class 5A quarterfinal game Saturday, March 15, 2025, at Armstrong High School. The Lions beat Hollidaysburg, 70-52. The Lions work on some concepts that may not be employed for months South Fayette showcased that Saturday during a 70-52 PIAA Class 5A quarterfinal against District 6 champion Hollidaysburg on Saturday at Armstrong High School While the Lions (27-2) were spectacular in transition they slowed things down and ran two and a half minutes off the clock at the start of the fourth quarter “That’s the first time we’ve done that all year,” Bennett said “We’ve had different things we’ve practiced and never had to show because of some of the outcomes I’m pleased with the kids; it’s not easy to hold the ball especially against a team that is as disciplined as Hollidaysburg.” The Lions (27-2) will have an opportunity to avenge their loss in the WPIAL final in the next round South Fayette will play Peters Township next Saturday at a site and time to be determined Hollidaysburg (25-4) got off to a rough start The Golden Tigers were designated as the home team Hollidaysburg was hit with a technical foul and South Fayette’s Haylie Lamonde made both shots to give the Lions a 2-0 lead before the ball was ever in play Hollidaysburg coach Deanna Jubeck said she didn’t think that impacted the game’s momentum “Something as small as that wasn’t going to dictate the outcome,” Jubeck said “This group has been resilient all year long where kids have one second to make their mistake and get over it We were over it prior to getting on the court.” Bennett said he didn’t want Hollidaysburg to be punished because the Lions had brought both sets of jerseys with them “It was an advantage,” Bennett said South Fayette moved the ball well during the first quarter The Lions were able to do a good job stretching out Hollidaysburg in transition South Fayette had three players — Juliette Leroux (21 points) Lamonde (19) and Lailah Wright (11) — in double figures in the game The Lions led 19-8 at the end of the first and were ahead by eight at halftime it was the most physical team we played,” Bennett said “Their physicality impacted us.” Makenna Weimert led the Golden Tigers with 15 points Hollidaysburg kept the deficit under 10 points for much of the second half but couldn’t find enough possessions late to threaten the Lions in the final quarter “We were in good shape going into the fourth quarter,” Jubeck said They played more of a possession game where their hands were on the balls and ours weren’t They were still pressing and trying to get easy baskets.” If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase HOLLIDAYSBURG — Robbie Mullin carried Hollidaysburg by going 3-for-4 and driving in four runs to lead the Tigers to a 16-9 win over Bellefonte on Wednesday in high school baseball action EJ Ulery collected three hits and three RBIs Tanner Rossman amassed two hits and drove in four teammates while Gavin Bell added two hits and three RBIs Records: Bellefonte (8-7); Hollidaysburg (12-3) MARTINSBURG — Central was able to hold off a seventh-inning rally from Forest Hills in a 7-6 victory Jay Hoenstine led the Dragons’ offense with three hits and two RBIs Troy McNichol totaled two hits and Kyle Klotz pushed home a pair of teammates Winning pitcher Coltin Harbaugh struck out four while Mason Byler earned the save with two strikeouts Records: Central (12-4); Forest Hills (8-3) Bishop Guilfoyle scored three times in the second inning en route to a 4-1 victory over Chestnut Ridge Griffen Chwatek fronted the Marauders with two hits and two RBIs Brody Gartman and Nick Foor all came through with two hits apiece Winning pitcher Michael Cacciotti had five strikeouts SOMERSET — Central Cambria managed one run and three hits in an 11-1 six-inning loss at Somerset Central Cambria 000 010 X– 1 3 2 JOHNSTOWN — Williamsburg scored all its runs in the first three innings of a 4-1 win over Ferndale tallied two hits and recorded an RBI for the Blue Pirates Records: Williamsburg (9-6); Fendale (3-10) WILLOW HILL — Claysburg-Kimmel had a one-run lead before giving up four runs in the bottom of the sixth to Fannett-Metal in an 8-5 loss Paydden Knisely went 3-for-3 for the Bulldogs EBENSBURG — Bishop Carroll was no-hit in a 14-0 Blacklick Valley 423 320 X–14 17 0 Bishop Carroll 000 000 X– 0 0 3 BLAIRSVILLE — Former Altoona Area High School football coach Ed Dalton will be back coaching in District 6 this .. The owner of a strip club in Cambria County is filing a lawsuit against a local municipality, calling some of its ordinances unconstitutional Bodies in Motion owner Gary Vaughn filed a similar lawsuit against Portage Borough, where his business is located. Changes Vaughn was looking for were eventually made to the ordinances in Portage Vaughn bodies in motion is also a travelling show that will perform at local spots from time to time outside of just the location in Portage The owner of D'Ottavio's Italian House in Hollidaysburg Borough says he would bring in the performers about once a month over the last about a year but he started receiving cease and desist letters from the borough saying it is violating an ordinance looking to limit sexually oriented businesses Borough officials say this led to an injunction from Blair County court not allowing the restaurant to continue having Bodies in Motion on site Hollidaysburg Borough manger Ethan Imhoff says officials have not been officially notified of the lawsuit as of Wednesday and have not had a chance to review it so there is no official comment from the borough at this point But Imhoff says unlike Portage, Hollidaysburg does have a zone in the borough where adult businesses are allowed, the I2 zone which he says is a legal requirement they fulfilled In the lawsuit Vaughn points to exemptions made in the ordinance If nudity is in a modeling class by a licensed school it is allowed throughout the borough Vaughn calls the exemptions “discriminatory” and “vague.” When asked if he believes there are any issues in the ordinance Imhoff says he "does not speak in absolutes" and "we'll see what happens." The lawsuit does also request $1 million from each defendant for a total of $12 million in punitive damages Vaughn did file the lawsuit on his own and is not represented by an attorney at this time Donations of clothing and nonperishable foods will be accepted from 10 a.m at the Hollidaysburg Church of the Brethren The church parking lot will serve as a collection site for the American Rescue Workers You can drop off donations and receive a tax receipt Francis Chapter of the World Apostolate of Fatima in the Expo I Building at the Clearfield County Fairgrounds in Clearfield The Rosary March will begin with the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament immediately followed by the rosary and eucharistic procession The Clearfield March was started by Bud Moore 47 years ago as a response to the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1917 to the three shepherd children of Fatima The guest speaker at this year’s Rosary March will be Catherine Moran She is the custodian of the traveling Pilgrim Virgin Icon of Our Lady of Fatima and has appeared with the icon on EWTN Live with Father Mitch Pacwa Moran is a Third Order Franciscan and a member of the Holy Trinity Byzantine Catholic Church Other highlights of the program include crowning of the Erie Diocesan Pilgrim Virgin Statue and Benediction of The Most Blessed Sacrament Francis Rosary and Altar Society will be present selling a variety of food Everyone is welcome to praise the Lord while exercising at the Christian Dance Fitness class from noon to 1 p.m The class is taught by instructor Cathy Chirdon or $60 for a 10-class punchcard; health insurance fitness plans accepted at the Twenty-eighth Street Church of the Brethren A brief meeting to discuss the cemetery upkeep will be held at 4 p.m Holy Spirit Ministry will host a healing service Tuesday The service will be led by Father David Dodd Refreshments will be available at 6:30 p.m There will be praise and worship music and prayer ministry Luke’s Episcopal Church’s community lunch will be served at noon Wednesday right down the street from St Luke’s The menu this month will be picnic food: hot dogs at the Smith Corner Independent Mennonite Church 3.1 miles west of East Freedom on Route 164 An offering will be accepted to assist New Journey with their ministry A chef’s salad sale will be held by the Greenwood United Methodist Church Salads will be available for pickup on Friday Salads are $12 and tickets are available by calling 814-943-5834 or email office@greenwoodunitedmethodistchurch.com will be continuing its PEACE Initiative Studies May’s study will be centered on Gena Thomas’ book “Separated by the Border” and the topic of refugees in America Limited copies of the books are available at the church The Faith Baptist Church of Altoona is now hosting an after school program It is held in the church Fellowship Hall from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m every Tuesday and Thursday for all teens in 6th through 12th grade The program offers teens a safe place to gather do homework or get help with their schoolwork The church is in the Highland Park Section of the city Zion Lutheran Church invites women of all ages to attend Stitch and Sew in Zion’s Fellowship Hall from 9 a.m No experience is required to help create quilts for Lutheran World Relief Religious organizations are invited to submit upcoming events special speakers and other items to be published free of charge in Spiritual Notes Items can be emailed to religion@altoonamirror.com or call Holly at 814-946-7451 Items may also be submitted online through the Mirror’s virtual newsroom at vnr.altoonamirror.com HOLLIDAYSBURG – Individual volunteers and service organizations are the heart and soul of the community and their unwavering support shows veterans the sacrifices they made to protect the nation have not gone unnoticed or forgotten said Hollidaysburg Veterans Home commandant Chrissy Dambeck During a recognition reception Wednesday at the home 50 volunteers who contributed a collective 3,180 volunteer hours to the veterans home were recognized for their efforts 39 service organizations were recognized for contributing 2,010 volunteer hours at off-campus events and trips hosting the home’s residents Volunteers do various things for the home each year ranging from working in the canteens to transporting residents to events The American Legion Auxiliary Department of Pennsylvania received the service organization of the year award McDowell said Humm has been a dedicated volunteer for the home for nearly seven years helps at bingos and volunteers at special events “Debi is a friendly and reassuring presence for our residents understands the importance of showing our veterans in long-term care that they are appreciated and not forgotten,” McDowell said Humm said she served in the Air Force from 1971-85 and “it means everything to me” to volunteer at the home and to have received recognition for her efforts She volunteers five hours every Friday to work in the canteen and visit with other veterans “The camaraderie is unbelievable,” Humm said it’s hard for you to understand how much it means to be helping another veteran Humm said she became friends with another Air Force veteran through crocheting together Now we visit every week with each other,” she said the American Legion Auxiliary Department of Pennsylvania was founded in 1919 and has nearly 1 million members from all walks of life The auxiliary administers hundreds of volunteer programs gives tens of thousands of hours to its communities and veterans and raises millions to support its own programs and worthwhile charities McDowell said the auxiliary has supported the veterans home in countless ways donating funds for special events and purchasing items needed by residents – clothing wireless headphones or other special request items the American Legion Auxiliary helped the center bring back the Poppy Program to MacArthur Hall where residents have the opportunity to make crepe paper poppies to earn a small amount of supplemental income who serves as the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home representative for the auxiliary said she wasn’t aware she’d be accepting the award until Wednesday morning “It’s paying off what we do,” Conkle said of the recognition “It’s nice to know that we’re appreciated.” Dambeck said this year is an exciting one for the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home because Lightner Hall a state-of-the-art community living center with a capacity of 200 residents will open for a recognition survey in November After an automatic transfer switch is received in October 20 residents will be moved to Lightner Hall in the third week of November so the recognition survey can be completed “The staff are diligently working on making this transition as smooth as possible,” Dambeck said McDowell said there’s always a need for volunteers at the veterans home and those who are interested can call the volunteer services office at 814-696-5371 after his Make-A-Wish presentation at Scotch Valley Country Club on Thursday evening Tryninewski battled lymphoma throughout 2024 HOLLIDAYSBURG – Isaac Tryninewski was overjoyed to see his family friends and Golden Tiger teammates waiting for him inside the Scotch Valley Country Club for his Make-A-Wish Foundation wish reveal Thursday night was presented with a full set of custom-fit TaylorMade and Titleist clubs a Vessel bag and a host of accessories by Make-A-Wish representatives This wish “means a lot” for Tryninewski Tryninewski is a passionate golfer who plays for fun every weekend with his friends and competes for the Hollidaysburg Area School District varsity team “He really has the heart and is super driven when it comes to golf he’s really locked in for that,” said Isaac’s mother Even during his chemotherapy treatment in summer 2024 Isaac’s commitment to improving his game never faltered “There were times after his chemo where he would wake up sick in the morning he’d be out on the golf course because he’s that motivated,” she said According to 30-year Make-A-Wish volunteer Suzy Kirkham who helped coordinate Tryninewski’s wish setting up the gift package took approximately three to four months of preparation That included working with Tryninewski to design the perfect wish Tryninewski said he considered asking for a destination golf trip to play a top-tier course in Hawaii he decided to opt for something more “permanent.” but the “big upgrade” to his current equipment will pay dividends over the long term plus a practice mat and backstop net to practice at home The centerpiece of this package is a Mevo+ Golf Launch Tracker that digitally records 20 parameters of the ball’s in-flight ballistics to help improve a player’s game presented Tryninewski with a membership to the club saying that he hopes to see the aspiring golfer set a record for most games played on the 18-hole course Kirkham thanked DeGol for his family organization’s commitment to supporting Make-A-Wish “If I’ve been here for 30 years then DeGol has been supporting us for 29 years,” she said Blair County Golf and Driving Range owner John Madey was also instrumental in making the wish happen as he fit Tryninewski for his new set of clubs and donated a number of free lessons Isaac had clear scans in August and November 2024 so while not officially in remission quite yet his oncologist said they are pleased with his progress Tryninewski said Hollidaysburg holds tryouts for the golf team in August ahead of the fall season “I’m hoping to get (my handicap down) I’m hoping to shoot around in the 70s by the time the season rolls around,” Tryninewski said especially with all this new stuff … it’s going to be awesome.” Jimmy Carson has announced he will seek the Republican nomination for mayor of Hollidaysburg in the May primary election Carson said he has been a borough resident for 59 years and worked for the borough for 25.5 years retiring in March 2024 from his full-time position He is now working part time for the borough He said during his time working for the borough He said he feels his experience would make him a leading candidate for the office of mayor went to second through 12th grade in the Hollidaysburg Area School District and graduated in 1977 Pennsylvania health officials are facing down a potential $500 million loss of federal funding CLEARFIELD — A Morrisdale man was sentenced in Clearfield County court Monday for assaulting two state troopers .. The city may apply to the International City and County Management Association for inclusion in a program that .. A Carrolltown woman is facing nearly 1,500 felony counts after embezzling about $198,500 from her employer over a .. WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve will likely keep its key short-term interest rate unchanged on Wednesday HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Hollidaysburg Area School District could pay up to $130 million in total construction costs and debt service to complete a sweeping building consolidation plan outlined during a Physical Plant Committee meeting last month which was presented by representatives from Crabtree is an update to a districtwide feasibility study initially conducted in 2022 regarding strategies to address ongoing budgetary shortfalls Per the CRA recommended roadmap for the district’s future HASD would follow a four-step plan over the next 12 years The first step would be to move ninth grade from the junior high to a newly constructed addition in the senior high building then move sixth grade into the junior high followed by some degree of elementary school consolidation and finally a suite of necessary renovations to the Junior High building The district campus will most likely require additional work to accommodate increased traffic and parking demand This masterplan could cost the district between $124.9 million and $129.9 million depending on what path the project follows according to an analysis by PFM Financial Advisors PFM’s estimate was based on current labor and material costs PFM senior managing consultant Melissa Hughes said so the actual number is likely to increase over the length of the project According to CRA representative Scott Cousin “the impetus (for the updated master plan) was how can we consolidate our elementary schools and realize some cost savings for the district.” A key vector for these savings is improvements in building operational efficiency and staffing requirements HASD has seen a downward trend in student enrollment which decreased sharply during the pandemic when about 140-150 students left the district according to CRA director of educational planning Fred Withum A “multi-year investigation” into district enrollment that included several projections created by the Pennsylvania Department of Education indicate that HASD’s student numbers will continue to decline through the next nine years The department of education standard is that school districts should have 10% more seats than enrolled students at the elementary level and 15% more seats than enrolled students at the secondary level Meaning that a hypothetical high school with 100 students should have the structural and organizational capacity to hold 115 students This excess is intentionally maintained to prevent “scheduling inefficiencies” related to class size Hollidaysburg Area will have about 675 empty seats at the elementary level 335 empty seats at the junior high level and 240 empty seats at the senior high level past the 10% and 15% target by the 2028-29 school year CRA enrollment projections are typically within 2% of actual enrollment based on previous public school clients Moving ninth grade to the senior high would free up space at the junior high to accommodate the moved-up sixth grade but the senior high would require an addition to fully house the influx of students This would constitute a two-story addition with five classrooms three science labs and smaller areas for special education and other uses attached to the northwest side of the senior high building between the auditorium and baseball field the current master plan is a “5,000-foot level looking down” view so details such as the exact numbers of classrooms are subject to adjustment as the project proceeds The senior high addition will cost between $10.1 million and $11.6 million not including any additional renovation on the building The two primary options for elementary consolidation are closing C.W Foot of Ten and Frankstown elementaries while building a new facility where Longer currently stands renovating the third and constructing a smaller consolidated elementary Substantially renovating Foot of Ten and adding a smaller building to house Longer and Frankstown students would cost about 7% more than consolidating all three into a new building CRA had initially considered a third option of moving the students from all three elementary schools into the junior high building closing the elementaries and constructing a new junior high on the district campus but this option was beyond the scope of HASD’s financial means One example CRA gave for the design of the new consolidated building would be a two-story structure with three wings of classrooms built off a central “main street” hallway that would hold district administration cafeteria and other student services like the gym and library Demolishing Longer ‘most practical’ Demolishing Longer to reuse the site for the consolidated building is the most practical option since much of the currently unoccupied area on the campus holds wetlands and is bisected by power lines “(The wetlands) you can touch and you can move but it’s extremely expensive and extremely cost-prohibitive when you do it with a project of this size,” he said Students from Longer would be temporarily absorbed by Foot of Ten and Frankstown during the construction process for the new building but it’s the lesser of two evils when you’re dealing with construction on campus,” Cousin said This stage of the project would include expanding the current parking lot to the southeast of Longer extending Union Street north toward the Senior High and adding an access road from the new end of Union Street to North Montgomery Street to improve traffic circulation on campus Since the consolidated building would have a larger footprint than Longer some of the current sports fields would be relocated to accommodate the new construction This stage of the master plan would cost between $82.9 and $91.2 million including the new traffic access and athletic fields $3.8 million of that cost could be eliminated by choosing to not move the district administrative office into the consolidated building This consolidation plan would create approximately $1.6 million in annual savings in reduced maintenance Staff levels would be reduced over time through attrition not layoffs under this plan Closing two of the elementary schools into a renovated Frankstown and a consolidated building would cost between $84.4 and $93.7 million with a $3 million deductible due to the district administrative office being similar to the first option This second option would save an estimated $797,884 per year Savings for both plans would not be realized immediately since staff attrition would occur over several years If the district decides not to consolidate and opts to maintain all three current elementaries it will face approximately $41.2 to $47.5 million in upkeep costs within the next 8-10 years HASD is already facing several multi-million renovation projects such as an extensive senior high roof repair and new junior high boiler The final phase of the master plan would be a number of major projects on the junior high building roof repairs and upgraded electrical wiring which would cost between $22.4 and $25.8 million According to the proposed timeline laid out in the master plan construction for the senior high addition would begin in early 2027 The elementary school consolidation work would run 2030 through mid 2032 and the junior high renovation would last from early 2034 till 2036 Planning and design stages for all options would start at least a year before construction Hughes addressed the committee after the conclusion of the CRA presentation briefing them on different ways the district could afford the proposed project the district can currently borrow up to $105 million under state law constraints which would increase to $127 million by 2031 assuming a 1% annual revenue growth scenario These limits are based on the previous three years of school district revenue and principal balance “When we’re looking at really long-term analysis like this we are going to be conservative in our interest rate assumptions because we’re looking at averages over a long period of time,” Hughes said if the district financed the entire plan today “everything would look better than what I am going to illustrate,” she said PFM’s projection of a $129.9 million total project cost for the three-to-one consolidation option is based on the high end of the ranges according to the work outlined in the CRA master plan and does not include any work outside the scope of the plan such as upgrades to Tiger Stadium or a roof-top solar array installation on the senior high building which the district may choose to do during the length of the master plan project “(HASD) probably has enough capacity to do the things (CRA) presented but in the constraints of everything we might consider you might have to make some choices around magnitude or timing,” Hughes said HASD currently has a “lovely debt portfolio” of three series of bonds issued by the district in 2017 This gives the district a degree of flexibility regarding its financial future your current debt service would drop off in 2029 and would totally pay off in 2030,” she said HASD is obligated to pay $17.5 million in total over the next five years under the current debt payment structure One of the borrowing plans offered by PFM would have the district taking out a series of separate loans for each step of the master plan process School administrators would be able to look at and evaluate each individual loan over the course of the project ‘Lot of discipline’ needed on budget The net amount of all debt repayment for the master plan project would cost the district $219.9 million with the senior high and consolidated elementary phases creating around $41.4 million in savings over that period Depending on the scope of the junior high renovations the net local effort could grow to $261.3 million in total debt service till 2058 “It would take a lot of discipline to identify dollars in your budget to accommodate that,” Hughes said it would take district commitment to millage tax increases over the next several years to afford this effort “It’s both a pro and a con to this being over a very long timeline,” Hughes said “the big pro being is it lets (the district) to bite it off in little pieces This discipline is especially important because the required growth in district borrowing capacity is contingent on a sound state of affairs in school finances over multiple years “No matter what scenario or direction you go with your facilities step one is making sure your house is in good order on the operating side,” Hughes said HASD currently has an approximate $2.5 million budget deficit while HASD received some state reimbursement for previous building renovation projects under the PlanCon program the program is no longer accepting new applicants and would not reimburse any costs related to the master plan project Hollidaysburg Area Superintendent Curtis Whitesel told the Mirror that it will be between six to 12 months before any action is taken on the master plan and that district administrators will encourage community input on the proposal prior to any vote on adoption HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Hollidaysburg boys tennis team advanced to the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship on Friday thanks to a 5-0 win over Somerset in high school action Hollidaysburg (14-2) got singles wins from Garrett Bouchard Doubles victories were earned by the teams of Aamir Azad-William Zhu and Alex Arbogast-Jacob Sidney The Tigers will play for the championship next Thursday at Westmont Hilltop Records: Somerset (10-3); Hollidaysburg (14-2) PITTSBURGH — The 20-year-old man who fell from the top of a 21-foot-high wall onto the warning track at PNC Park .. Hollidaysburg and Bishop Guilfoyle Academy both entered Monday’s Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference showdown undefeated in the league but what seemed like it would be a battle to the end turned into a statement from the Lady Tigers And it happened rather quickly to stun the home crowd at Pleasant Valley Gymnasium Hollidaysburg went on an 11-1 run and never looked back in a 62-39 victory over the Lady Marauders “We know that when you come into BG it’s a hostile crowd,” Hollidaysburg coach Deanna Jubeck said “If you can take the wind out of their sails a little early it helps to silence them a little bit.” Hollidaysburg seemed to get every loose ball grab every contested rebound and got early 3-pointers from Lauren Stevenson and Jillian Sidney to build a 25-13 lead after a quarter it’s humbling,” Bishop Guilfoyle coach Kristi Kaack said I could say we played four games in six days and they looked tired but the truth is — they just came out and beat us We’re going to go back to work and fix some of the errors we had tonight.” One of the most physical Hollidaysburg players Monday was Stevenson 4 inches tall but had 11 points and 10 rebounds “She has started a lot of games for us,” Jubeck said “We put the ball in her hands and ask her to run the offense she’s our third-leading rebounder and that says a lot about a kid her stature.” Stevenson seemed to get stronger as the game went on with many of her rebounds coming on the offensive end that directly led to baskets that ballooned Hollidaysburg’s lead even higher “Size doesn’t really matter,” Stevenson said be aggressive and not be afraid of anything I was defending a lot under the basket today The game was played more at the pace BG prefers in the second half “I asked them to show a little bit of pride and look like we wanted to be here,” Kaack said (Hollidaysburg) really controlled the tempo on both ends of the floor They dictated what we wanted to do on the offensive end and then I think they came down and got pretty much any opportunity that they wanted on the offensive end for them.” Morgan Ruggery led Bishop Guilfoyle with 12 points — all in the first half — and 10 rebounds “We keep using the word consistency,” Kaack said “We want to be consistent on both ends of the floor every single night and I don’t think we’re there yet There’s still a lot of work to be done and I know we have a great group in the locker room so we’re going to keep working.” Hollidaysburg got a game-high 19 points from Bella Vent who Jubeck said played her best game of the season and Clare Padamonsky scored 11 for the Lady Tigers that’s the Hollidaysburg team that we have been waiting to see since November,” Jubeck said “We put together a couple of good practices and this is what we expected today.” Stevenson thinks the Lady Tigers can improve “We played like a team,” Stevenson said “We knew what we needed to do and got it done so I knew we were going to have a good game so we have to keep working hard and getting better.” 3-point goals: Hollidaysburg 7 (Stevenson 3 Records: Hollidaysburg (10-1); Bishop Guilfoyle (10-2) Members of the Friends of the Hollidaysburg Area Public Library prepare for the library’s Spring Used Book Sale which will be held Wednesday through Friday A “Friends Members Preview” sale will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m A bag of books will be discounted to $5 from 5 to 7:30 p.m has announced the following programs for the month of .. The National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S along with the Central Labor Council of Blair .. The Hollidaysburg Area School District will present its annual district-wide art show from 4 to 8 p.m The event will be hosted for the first time by The Casino allowing for a larger exhibition than ever before Selected students from kindergarten through 12th grade will have their artwork on display creating a vibrant and diverse collection that will captivate attendees The show will highlight the incredible talent of art students at Hollidaysburg and will also showcase the unveiling of “Makayla’s Voice,” a piece that was a collaboration of students from C.W Longer Elementary School and Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School The event is open to the public and donations will be accepted at the door Join the Railroaders Memorial Museum on May 8 for the last speaker in its History After Hours Lecture Series 20-win squad in Hollidaysburg in the District 6 Class 5A semifinals it seemed like the Central Mountain boys basketball team was in business prepared to go back-and-forth with the elite squad on the way to an instant class it would quickly rattle off an 8-2 run to go into the final minute of the first trailing by one do-it-all freshman point guard in Vincent Albarano the Golden Tigers would score six unanswered to close out the quarter before carrying that effort into 12-2 run the Wildcats would get their deficit below double-figures just once through the rest of the game as Hollidaysburg put on a well-rounded clinic on its way to a 60-27 rout it wasn’t a case of the team being outmatched particularly Hollidaysburg’s first-half surge Central Mountain (9-14) put itself in great positions to score inside and outside the paint and their momentum deteriorated as a result we shot 6-of-21 from the paint,” said Bardo “You’re not going to be perfect but we have to be more efficient than that those missed layups put them in transition too.” A Max Verrelli three off a great pass from Caleb Mahoney would end Hollidaysburg’s second surge cutting the deficit to 22-14 near the midway point of the second quarter But the Golden Tigers would quickly gain those three points back the old-fashioned way as Brady Steiner converted a three-point play They’d ultimately close out the half on a 13-2 run to go into break with a 19-point lead with Central Mountain’s struggles from the floor resuming as Hollidaysburg outscored it 25-11 through the second half it scored more points (8) than it did in either of the final three periods “I think we are in that game in a lot of areas other than shot making,” said Bardo “They (Hollidaysburg) made shots and did that consistently We could defend them in the half court when we could get to what we wanted to get to defensively With the gap breaching 30 at the start of the fourth and the final eight minutes of Central Mountain’s season went by in a flash as a result It was a tough way to conclude the campaign along with the storied careers of the team’s seniors Hunter Hoy had just recently surpassed 1000 career points making an impact throughout much of his time with the program he’d lead the team in scoring on Tuesday night finishing with nine points to go along with six boards Fellow lettermen Caleb Mahoney and Max Verrelli combined for eight with Jeremy Reese making an impact off the bench defensively They’re walking away with a district championship that then-sophomore class was a big part of that They showed up to work every day and went after it,” said Bardo on his senior class “They’re very coachable and that’s what you ask of them he’s accomplished a lot and is a big part of what we do.” Though it’s tough to part ways with that group it’s a part of the process at the end of the day Bardo is optimistic about the future of the team and already looks forward to next season with the return of three-year starter Blake Walker and improvements of Noah Wells and Darius Shade giving next year’s squad plenty of potential “You graduate pieces every year and find ways to move on,” said Bardo “We’ve got a good nucleus and some sophomores and freshmen coming that are eager to learn and play the game the right way I’m excited to see if we can continue to uphold the standard of how we play and how we do things.” Hollidaysburg – 16 19 15 10 – 60 Three-pointers: Central Mountain 2 (Verrelli Records: Central Mountain 9-14 (5-5 Heartland-I); Hollidaysburg 21-3 (16-2 Laurel Highlands) Parker Bennett threw 5 1/3 innings to help Montgomery defeat Selinsgrove passed away Monday evening at UPMC Altoona after a brief illness daughter of the late Howard and Leta (McFadden) Wilt Kevin Madden (Deb) of Annville; three daughters: Pam Gomez (Jerry) of Marcy DiDomenico of Tyrone and Trish Collins (Mike) of New Port Richey as well as their spouses and families; 15 great-grandchildren; a sister Karen Savoy (Terry) of Yardley; four brothers: Ben Wilt of Dayton Phil Wilt of Carlisle and Steve Wilt (Sherry) of Huntsville Denise was a graduate of Hollidaysburg High School where she played field hockey and was in the band She was also a graduate of the Altoona School of Commerce She was also a member of the Sylvan Hills Ladies Golf Association and a charter member of the Hollidaysburg Community Chorus and loved trips to the beach and spending time with her family where a vigil for the deceased will be held A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m The family requests that donations in memory of Denise be made to St Condolences may be made at www.stevensfamilyfuneralhomes.com or Stevens Family Funeral Homes Facebook page HOLLIDAYSBURG — A downtown Hollidaysburg landmark will soon be coming back to life The first tenant in the former First United Methodist Church Stuckey & Son building at 400 Allegheny St. Arya Yoga Studio will open the weekend of Jan bought the building in September 2021 from Hollidaysburg Downtown Development LLC received a $500,000 Keystone Communities Program Grant to help turn the building which has been out of use since the early 1980s “The redevelopment of the former green church is a big step in maintaining the vibrance of our mountain main streets This was the first project that was able to benefit from the Borough of Hollidaysburg being included in the newly formed Enterprise Zone,” said Tom Seasoltz the ownership group was able to access different tax credit programs Keystone Communities funding and direct Enterprise Zone loan funds We hope the site will now serve as a ‘community hub’ for Hollidaysburg providing another exciting spot to visit in Blair County,” Seasoltz said “This project took a ton of effort to bring a vacant church building back to life many thanks to the Keller family for their continued investment in downtown Hollidaysburg.” Arya Yoga Studio will occupy the entire first floor of the building “The middle floor will open second and we hope to have that floor ready for occupancy by the end of February The top floor will open last and we hope to have that floor ready for occupancy by the end of March,” said Jared Keller Other tenants have committed to moving into the building “We have a handful of food-based tenants that will occupy the middle and top floors Shelving/dry storage for shelf stable food products and freezer and refrigeration space will primarily be on the middle floor for a year round farmers market but some will be on the top floor as well,” Keller said Keller said there will be seven or eight full-time tenants across the three floors along with at least a few dozen year-round farmers market vendors that occupy shelf/freezer/refrigeration space “We could potentially have 60+ farmers market vendors but we’re taking a conservative estimate at this time,” Keller said Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467 in high school boys tennis at Mansion Park on Monday and the team of Amir Azad and Jacob Sidney won at No and the team of Aiden Aiken and Avery Lanzendorfer won a doubles match for the Mountain Lions Records: Altoona (9-5); Hollidaysburg (9-2) TYRONE — Wyatt Walls won a singles match and the team of Logan Harpster and Tyler Weston won at No JOHNSTOWN — Two area athletes will be inducted into the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Athletics Hall of .. — Melony Stellabotte had decided to improve her view so she pushed her desk forward at the real estate agency Then she could sit and see through the bay windows to the steps of the courthouse next door She recognized the attorneys come and go. She knew some police officers, too. In quaint Hollidaysburg, tucked in the Allegheny Mountains a defendant in handcuffs presented her with a little drama At least, that was before Luigi Mangione was arrested near here the courthouse next door became center stage for a murder case that’s inflamed debate about class the news vans pull in and the floodlights go up A friendly journalist stopped inside the real estate agency The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one. “I think she was from the ‘Today’ show,” Stellabotte said law enforcement officials were bracing for the attention protesters and onlookers — at Mangione’s hearing Thursday Posts had circulated online urging his supporters to show up Police and sheriff’s deputies cordoned off the streets and blocked traffic he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole and he had ties to San Francisco where his mother reported him missing last month Law enforcement officials are trying to tamp down his celebrity New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch slammed what she described as a “shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder.” All the drama had set the stage for a spectacle at the courthouse Thursday morning the windows of the real estate agency looked onto a long line of reporters and camera crews The word had spread that there was space for 67 people in the courtroom and the line for a seat stretched around the block A few people held signs such as “Free Luigi” and “Death by denial is murder.” Another sign read “Murder for profit is terrorism.” Vicki Cherry watched the scene from across the street and shook her head at the signs How would they feel if it was their parents or brother?” Still Ethan Merrill and Ashlyn Adami drove eight hours from South Bend to share the story of their health care troubles outside the courthouse Adami said her insurance had initially denied her breast reduction surgery She said an act of violence over frustrations with the U.S “I was not surprised because I have felt so angry for years now and I know I am not the only one,” she said said they don’t condone the violence but want attention to a broken system we are here because we believe murder isn’t the answer — but we do need an answer,” he said Hollidaysburg had mixed feelings about the hubbub The Pennsylvania borough of about 5,500 people had been famous for its railroad history and holiday tradition of lighting a star on the mountainside over the town before Mangione showed up Stellabotte had embraced the attention as a chance to demonstrate small town hospitality We had people from all over the United States,” she said The out-of-towners have kept the kitchen hustling a few doors away at Allegheny Creamery & Crepes Others have taken to echoing a quip by a local accountant to the Altoona Mirror newspaper. “We no longer have to say we’re between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh or 40 miles south of State College.” Rachel Ellenberger hoped visitors had stopped to recognize the charm here “I always tell people that it reminds me of a movie Inside the courthouse Thursday, Mangione waived extradition to New York the crowd of New York and Altoona police officers emerged from the back of the building but a few onlookers and reporters peered down to try and get a glimpse of Mangione “Health insurance practices terrorize people!” leaving just another small-town story of a week that made Hollidaysburg feel seen Correction: Some of the photo captions in the story have been updated to correct the location Tim Prudente tim.prudente@thebaltimorebanner.com Tim Prudente is an enterprise reporter for The Baltimore Banner Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. 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If the problem persists, please contact customer service at 443-843-0043 or customercare@thebaltimorebanner.com Hollidaysburg won for the 11th time in 13 matches in a 5-0 win over Richland Wednesday in boys high school tennis at The Summit Tennis & Athletic Club Michael Waibel and Alex Arbogast claimed singles wins while the teams of Yvan Chen-Jacob Sidney and Aamir Azad-Colin Gardner were victorious in doubles action PATTON — Brielle McMillen won the 100 dash 1600 and 3200 runs for the Cambria Heights girls in a 127-14 victory over Penns Manor in high school track and field Marshall Eckenrode captured three events for the Cambria Heights boys in a 98-39 victory over Penns Manor Eckenrode claimed the 110 and 300 hurdles as well as the high jump for the Highlanders Trey Trybus placed first in the long jump and triple jump while Mason Kline won the 800 and 1600 runs for Heights Bishop Guilfoyle was swept by West Shamokin by scores of 25-9 25-13 and 25-16 in high school boys volleyball at Pleasant Valley Gymnasium Karter Shall paced the Marauders with seven service points while Brenden Young delivered eight assists and Jacob Mellot made five digs Records: West Shamokin (8-0); Bishop Guilfoyle (not given) Hollidaysburg elementary schools will present a spring chorus concert at 7 p.m Pictured are members of the Frankstown Elementary Chorus Tickets are $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and secondary students and can be purchased at the door The Hollidaysburg Elementary Orchestras will present its spring concert at 7 p.m They are (from left): front row — Calliope Kessler Brandon Detwiler and Chris Durbin; back row (basses) — Emma Johnson Tickets are $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and secondary students and can be purchased at the door the night of the concert The Hollidaysburg fifth- and sixth-grade elementary bands will present a spring concert at 7 p.m Pictured are students from Foot of Ten Elementary Band They are (from left): first row — Reagan Zerbee Emeline Krott and Emily Donlan; second row — Peyton Sylvester HOLLIDAYSBURG — For the first half of Monday’s Blair County high school boys basketball rivalry game between Altoona and Hollidaysburg anyone in the gymnasium who had not been following either team this season would have thought it was the Mountain Lions gearing up for a playoff run which came into the game with just two wins making big shots and playing tough defense and was rewarded with an eight-point halftime lead despite playing without its top scorer — Josh Lowery as Hollidaysburg woke up collectively as a team head coach Brad Lear saw something individually from senior Gavin Bell he had been waiting for all season Bell scored 10 of his team-high 14 points in the second half and added seven rebounds to lead the Golden Tigers all the way back and then some in a 51-37 victory “He just snapped and all of a sudden started playing how we knew he could play,” Lear said We told him the other night we needed him to be more aggressive offensively.” Bell’s layup with 3:39 to play in the third quarter put Hollidaysburg ahead Bell added a pair of fourth-quarter 3-pointers to help the Golden Tigers pull away “He came out and was really aggressive,” Lear said “He made a nice little spin move and scored and caught it again — and you could see his confidence start to build His rebounding has always been there and his athleticism but he just had a hard time getting his feet underneath him after not playing for a couple years.” Altoona trailed 14-10 after a quarter but outscored the Golden Tigers including a 9-0 run to end the half with a 26-18 lead it was probably the hardest and most together we have played this year,” Altoona coach Doug Pfeffer said and I couldn’t be happier with the effort We just have trouble taking care of the ball and putting it in the hoop That’s our problem right now.” Gavin Dunkle scored all of his nine points in the first half Lear said he didn’t think his team matched Altoona’s intensity early the hardest thing is to get them to believe the other team can play,” Lear said “The Mid-Penn schedule that they go through — they are tested every single night It’s not like any other team walking in here with that kind of record That’s the hardest thing to get through as a coach to not sleep on another team We’d look at shots as they ran past us lost Parker White to a right leg injury with 6:14 to play in the third quarter while holding a four-point lead White attempted to return later in the quarter but played just over a minute before returning to the bench limping and did not re-enter the game “It’s tough — they are two of our better players,” Pfeffer said “Teams go through injuries and sickness at this time of the year and other guys need to step up They made shots in the second half and took care of the basketball when they needed to.” Hollidaysburg’s Kasen Metzger scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and finished with 10 rebounds “Kasen had two or three offensive rebounds,” Lear said It was one of those grind-it-out Hollidaysburg-Altoona games.” Lear’s team rallied from a halftime deficit for the second straight game “We told them they were going to see them every summer for the rest of their life ‘you can’t let them come into our gym and take this,’ so we have had a couple pretty good halftime speeches were down to Bishop Carroll and came back and beat them We have to stop putting ourselves in those positions.” Altoona will not be taking part in the postseason this year but Pfeffer’s team is still playing hard “I’m super proud,” Pfeffer said the kids could have packed it in a long time ago but we came out and showed Altoona basketball is alive but we’re going to turn this thing around.” Records: Altoona (2-17); Hollidaysburg (18-2) daughter of the late Edwin and Margaret (Greiner) Wilt Surviving are her husband of 24 years; numerous grandchildren; a brother Wilt (Jennifer); and numerous nieces and nephews and later graduated from Pittsburgh University She was a school teacher for 30 years in the Catholic School system Susan was a member and vice-regent of the Catholic Daughters of Our Lady of the Alleghenies Court #1755 of America and also was a member of Connies Collectible’s quilting club She was the Judge of Precinct 3 for the borough of Hollidaysburg Mary Roman Catholic Church where she served as a Eucharistic Minister Friends will be received 5pm to 7pm on Tuesday 2025 at Sorge Funeral Home & Crematory Inc. A funeral Mass will be held at St Mary Roman Catholic Church If you are the site owner (or you manage this site), please whitelist your IP or if you think this block is an error please open a support ticket and make sure to include the block details (displayed in the box below) so we can assist you in troubleshooting the issue unexpectedly passed away Wednesday at his residence the eldest of 10 children of Dick and Mary Louise (Williams) Gildea Mike is survived by his favorite (and only) son He is also survived by a special aunt and uncle Judy and Bob McLaughlin; his nine siblings; 36 nieces and nephews; and more than 40 great-nieces and nephews — and counting After graduating at the top of his class from Hollidaysburg High School in 1966 Mike was awarded a scholarship to Duquesne University He left Duquesne during his junior year to enlist in the army and avoid being drafted to Vietnam He served the army as a Czech voice interpreter operator stationed in Augsburg He was honorably discharged in 1972 with National Defense Service and Good Conduct Medals He then returned home to complete his bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Pittsburgh He went on to receive his master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Duquesne University in 1977 Mike worked for nearly 35 years as a director counselor and therapist at various psychiatric facilities and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers throughout Pennsylvania He also started his own private practice that focused on treatment of drug/alcohol and mental health related issues for hundreds of outpatients Mike moved back to his hometown to be closer to family He was able to spend cherished time with his parents before their passing Mike was a mentor to all of his siblings — his advice to them was always delivered with humor He enjoyed nothing more than regaling his family with stories of his life and travels He had a gift for connecting with everyone crossword puzzles and listening to Eric Clapton as loud as he could His grandchildren were his pride and joy — being their Poppop and spoiling them was the most important part of his life May you now find peace in “Tears in Heaven,” remember the “Wonderful Tonight” moments and carry the spirit of “Layla” with you as you journey through “The Change.” Though we feel the “Cocaine” of sorrow we celebrate your life filled with “Promises” and the “Forever Man” you will always be in our hearts “Drift Away” Poppop with your loud music A family celebration of life will be held at a later date donations can be made in Mike’s honor to Hollidaysburg American Legion Ambulance Service PA 16648; or to Vietnam Veterans Association (vva.org/donate/) He was born in New York and was the son of Anna (Rocchiccioli) and the late Enzo Piacentini Juliana Piacentini McGinty and husband Mitchell; a son He was a member of First United Methodist Church he loved spending time with his family and being a father Friends will be received from 4-7pm on Thursday A funeral service will be held at 11 am Friday Moran “Pat” “Patty” Emery a daughter of the late John Joseph and Susan Mary (Flynn) Moran Emery (Roy Mock) of Altoona; four grandchildren: Katie Emery Christianna Bartel and Maggie Emery; two great-grandchildren: Brayden and Alex; and numerous extended family members John Francis “Sean” Emery; infant granddaughter Jenna Emery Mock; five siblings; and special aunt where she was a member of Catholic Daughters of America She was a 1952 graduate of Sharon High School and St She was employed as a registered nurse at Sharon General Hospital before retiring from the Presbyterian Village at Hollidaysburg sports and being “Mom’s Taxi.” and she was an avid fan of her children’s sporting events She was a member of the Silver Sneakers program at the Summit Athletic Club A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the staff of The Lutheran Home at Hollidays­burg for the exceptional care provided to Pat during her stay the family suggests memorial donations please be made to the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society PA 16602; or to Mending Hearts Animal Rescue September 18 started as just another Wednesday for Hollidaysburg resident Jen Davis was at work near Lake Raystown Resort and her son so Jen decided to go for a walk across from the facility and glanced over to see if she could get a glimpse of him and I just walked past the field and looked over,” Jen said “I saw there was a player down and couldn’t tell who it was That’s when (Hollidaysburg Area football coach Homer) DeLattre flagged me down and told me I needed to go over became a day Jen will remember for the rest of her life because if not for the heroic actions of a group of coaches and Hollidaysburg athletic trainer Amy Smearman it could have been the date on Spencer’s tombstone Four weeks into the high school football regular season Hollidaysburg was off to its best start in years at 4-0 and sophomore Spencer Davis had been helping the Golden Tiger starters prepare for their competition by participating on the scout team had an assignment of mimicking the Mifflinburg punt team in a drill Hollidaysburg was running to prepare for its road game on Friday “It was just a regular practice,” Hollidaysburg assistant coach Joe Montrella said “They were doing special teams and Spencer was covering the punt as a tackler He got hit as part of that play right in the chest I don’t want to say it was extremely hard but it was nothing that you don’t see in the course of a football game on a Friday night It just ended up being perfectly oriented where the other kid’s shoulder went right into his chest.” “I was probably 20 yards away standing on the sideline watching the play develop,” Montrella said It looked like the type of hit where you would lose your breath but he fell without any support and did hit hard on the ground.” Montrella and fellow assistant coach Rodney Chism both said their initial belief was that Davis had the wind knocked out of him he still wasn’t coming around,” Montrella said “His breathing started to change into almost a snoring and we could tell he was having trouble breathing That’s when we got one of the players to help us get his helmet off as we held him still He started to get paler and was continuing to have that abnormal breathing.” As Hollidaysburg’s varsity football practice played out was working at an eighth grade football game at Tiger Stadium less than half a mile from Longer Elementary’s practice field I was on the other side of the field,” DeLattre said I called Amy right away and when I hung up with her including one of the school’s several automated external defibrillators I knew right away that it was an emergency,” Smearman said “The coaches had just removed his helmet to access his airway and we were checking for pulses at that point Along with Smearman were coaches Montrella and had urged her husband to be adamant on his CPR training and had discussed her experiences in the field with him throughout the years Chism spent 32 years working with the state and is currently a security resource professional at Hollidaysburg “I fell back on what was natural to me I assessed him for a pulse,” Chism said and then he stopped breathing completely at that point and started to change color He turned a light shade of blue and then a darker shade of blue “We realized at that point he didn’t have a pulse Amy was taking care of the breathing and Coach Montrella and I were tag teaming the compressions We paused to check for a pulse and realized he was starting to get a pulse and applied the AED which walked us through on when to stop compressions and apply a shock.” who Smearman described as extremely calm under pressure “It was somewhat terrifying,” Smearman said “But you really didn’t have time to think By the time we realized we had to start CPR and they were taking care of doing compressions while (Walstrom) was grabbing the AED off my cart Everything was happening the way it was supposed to happen.” Jen Davis had made her way to her son’s side so I sprinted through practice,” Jen said “He regained consciousness for a second hang on buddy,’ and then his eyes rolled behind his head his lips were a gray-blue color and his heart stopped again at that point.” The AED instructed Smearman and the three coaches to shock Spencer twice and continue compressions “It was a team effort between myself “A police officer showed up and even jumped in at one point doing compressions Though she’s been with Hollidaysburg as the athletic trainer for 24 years Spencer’s medical emergency was the first time Smearman had to perform CPR You knew at that point that this player’s life is in your hands.” After following the AED’s instructions of harder compressions and shock treatment Chism felt for a pulse and got some good news “Once we did several sets of compressions and two shocks an ambulance arrived and took him and his mother to UPMC Altoona He was later transported to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for further treatment “They saved his life,” Jen said “We had multiple physicians come into his room out in Pittsburgh and say that the fact the first responders knew what they were doing and started compressions immediately and that they used the AED is what saved his life he wouldn’t be here right now.” Spencer Davis has no recollection of the day he almost died He can remember the day before and waking up in Pittsburgh the day after he suffered sudden cardiac arrest “That day is completely blank,” Spencer said I don’t even remember waking up and going to school.” When Spencer was told what happened to him his first reaction was to check on his teammate that ran into him on the drill at practice “I was really worried about how the person that hit me was doing,” Spencer said “I was worried about him and wanted to make sure he was OK.” Spencer spent seven days at Children’s Hospital before being discharged He’s currently wearing a ZOLL LifeVest It hasn’t gone off in the weeks since he returned home though he’s only doing half days so far and he participated in Hollidaysburg’s homecoming and has attended the Tigers’ last two home football games “Some things feel normal,” Spencer said Spencer hasn’t had any major issues beyond the broken ribs he suffered as a result of the CPR If everything comes back normal at his next appointment on Tuesday he will receive a diagnosis of commotio cordis which is what NFL player Damar Hamlin suffered during his near-fatal hit in January of 2023 “It’s where the heartbeat was in a downward beat when he got hit and it was just at the exact time that caused his heart to go into arrest,” Jen said Never in a million years would I think I would be walking and find out that my child was in cardiac arrest but I never in a million years thought he would go into cardiac arrest from a hit.” Even though Spencer was familiar with the Hamlin hit and aftermath he didn’t really think it would be possible at the high school level “Even after the Damar Hamlin incident I was thinking it would take someone like that strong — someone who is NFL material that benches 225 pounds at the combine for 18 reps to impact someone like this,” Spencer said If not for the immediate response of Montrella Spencer’s positive outcome likely would have been different brain damage begins very quickly after cardiac arrest,” said Dr the medical director at UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute at UPMC Altoona and UPMC Bedford brain cells start to suffer damage due to lack of oxygen severe and permanent damage is likely and after 10 minutes survival chances are significantly reduced.” the overall out-of-hospital cardiac arrest rate of survival is around 8.8% “The most remarkable part of this story was the recognition of the early need for CPR by the coaches which was quickly initiated by nonmedical personnel with limited resources,” Jabbour said “The close proximity of the AED was essential in restoring normal heart rhythm in a timely fashion The collective efforts of those individuals was crucial in this child’s survival and avoidance of any significant neurological damage.” Though most parents and Spencer himself never thought what happened could be a possibility DeLattre and Smearman had it on their radar thanks to some down time away from sports during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 “We didn’t have a real detailed emergency action plan by facility there were things Amy and I had always wanted to do since I became the athletic director and we started working together There were a few things we wanted to be more detailed with “The emergency action plan was certainly one of those things Amy and I sat down and went venue by venue in every situation and every facility that we have Part of that plan was having AEDs at different locations and access for medical help “What to do as far as when to call 911 and how to send someone to an entry point for the ambulance to be quicker and more efficient at getting on site,” DeLattre said “All those things were more detailed and put into place It ended up being something we relied on instantly from the moment we called 911 That’s when the emergency action plan began and we were blessed to have a group of coaches and staff and everyone that put that into place.” In the weeks since Spencer’s sudden cardiac arrest “I reached out to all the local (athletic directors) from District 5 6 and 9 about a week after and shared our (emergency plan) in case they didn’t have anything in place,” DeLattre said I know some have what we had prior to 2020 I asked everyone to review our plan and make sure they took time to review it with their staff and share it with their head coaches and assistants The more people that are aware and it’s second nature to them and not something they have to look up that gives a much better chance of success.” DeLattre said all schools have AEDs available but most don’t have multiple available at different locations and facilities and we have one in the elementary buildings,” DeLattre said The closest one at the time was at Longer Elementary but the one Amy had on hand expedited that process.” The AED used to save Spencer’s life helped guide the first responders through the process “Different AED brands are designed differently,” Smearman said “This isn’t the same for every brand of AED it basically starts to walk you through what you should be doing It may say ‘apply the pads’ or ‘stop CPR’ or ‘analyzing’ where you basically stop and don’t touch the person It will tell you if a shock is needed or it will tell you to continue CPR The model we had told us to press deeper and press faster Chism said Smearman bringing the AED was crucial due to its instructions “AEDs are essential whether it’s a practice or an event,” Chism said “It’s something you should have on hand and access to immediately You never know when and if you will need it was running around and now he’s on the field unconscious without a pulse Thank God we were able to administer CPR and have a success story with him but I think had there been any other lapses or gaps in time I don’t believe the situation may have had as positive of an outcome as it did.” did not witness his son’s heart stopping on the practice field but reunited with Spencer Jen and their daughter at UPMC Altoona and was thankful Hollidaysburg was in a better position to help his son than some rural area schools might be “I grew up in the small town of Williamsburg,” Dave said “I don’t know if Williamsburg would have the same outcome that we did on the 18th Being trained in CPR and not just calling for someone but starting it immediately is critical Having an AED within three minutes increases the likelihood of someone not just surviving but living a normal life.” The Davis family would like to make sure if there is ever another medical emergency like Spencer’s that the outcome is similar there’s like a three minute window,” Jen said you wouldn’t even know what took place (a month) ago.” Much of that is thanks to the response he received “Spence wants to advocate for awareness,” Jen said “People need to be aware that it could happen and that the response time is imperative and you need to know how to use it.” The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association requires some training but does not mandate that its coaches become certified in CPR “The PIAA requires a first aid course or certification at some point in time,” DeLattre said “There’s a course or certification you have to submit to PIAA just like a coaching education Every coach in Pennsylvania has to do that when they start coaching “You have to get those two things within a two-year period once you start coaching But it is not required by our school district that every coach is CPR certified Every coach must complete yearly sudden cardiac arrest certification You get certification for it after taking a test.” The Davis family would like to see CPR training become a requirement “We want to march this thing up to Harrisburg to make sure that there’s an outcome that helps a small community like Claysburg Williamsburg or Chestnut Ridge or one of the local school districts that are small and need that same kind of reaction time,” Dave said “It’s just crazy that there is no requirement to have an AED in schools or CPR certification for coaches Hollidaysburg took a preemptive strike to make sure that we did have a plan in place that other school districts might not have.” After meeting the Thursday following Spencer’s sudden cardiac arrest the team decided to play its game against Mifflinburg in honor of Davis and got to FaceTime with Spencer after the victory “The team called me Friday after the game against Mifflinburg,” Spencer said “Then the coaches called me after their Sunday meeting I think it was good for them to see that I was doing OK.” DeLattre had never dealt with anything like what happened with Spencer during his long coaching career “I have been coaching for 28 years,” DeLattre said “I have been through injuries and different things happening to kids but this is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy I remember sitting and watching the Damar Hamlin situation and wondering what we would do in that situation But it’s something you don’t even think of happening Someone said there’s a one in 13 million chance of having a situation like Hamlin For it to happen at our practice was unimaginable.” Montrella was among the coaches who attempted to shield the players from what happened when he realized how serious Spencer’s issue was and directed players away from the field “It was pretty traumatic for the kids and those NFL players — they are professionals You’re talking about ninth through 12th grade kids observing that Spencer lying on the field struggling to breathe lingered in Montrella’s thoughts “I couldn’t sleep that night,” Montrella said “I had to call off work the next day I was ready to get to practice and be around all the other kids and coaches and see everybody I think I hugged all the players that Thursday at practice.” Damar Hamlin returned to play professional football after his sudden cardiac arrest and though Children’s Hospital has already contacted Hamlin’s foundation about setting up a meeting between the NFL star and Davis Spencer said he’s probably played his last down of the sport “Baseball has always been my love,” Spencer said “Football has always been something I just enjoyed doing I think I’m going to just stick to baseball and focus on that.” Spencer is currently taking classes in a culinary school but he isn’t sure what he wants to do with his adult life now that he’s seen the impact medical professionals and those trained in CPR can make on someone “They saved my life,” Spencer said I want to do whatever I can to make sure if someone else has something like this happen that their outcome can be as good as mine.” When Spencer returned home from Pittsburgh Hollidaysburg held an event for him to visit his coaches teammates and some members of the community “Some of the others probably did too It was just a very good feeling to see him there’s some kind of bond there that has developed He is living proof that having the right emergency action plan It’s also to me a miracle everything fell into place the way it should have been.” Spencer has been getting a similar reaction everywhere he goes “It’s been amazing,” Spencer said “I haven’t gone through a room without someone asking me how I’m doing or telling me they have been praying for me and my family.” smiles and Spencer’s future are all a reality because of the crucial efforts from first responders that admirably performed life-saving duties while an ambulance was on its way “Those minutes were the difference between Spencer being in a hospital or us being at his funeral,” Jen said We can’t stress enough how important it is to be trained and know what you are doing.” BELLEFONTE – On Wednesday afternoon at Governor’s Field the Bellefonte baseball team played host to Laurel Highlands foe Hollidaysburg having won four straight games within the span of a week that streak would come to an end at the hand of the Golden Tigers as a ten-run first inning produced too much of a deficit for the Red Raiders to battle back from Hollidaysburg batters Josh Banks and Cayden Gibbons both hit solo home runs on the afternoon Picking up multiple hits for the Tigers were Josh Banks (2-for-4 2 runs We gave some things but they made it hard for us,” said Bellefonte coach Jon Clark “They capitalized on some mistakes we made They put themselves in a good position to be successful by hitting the ball hard Hats off to them they pounded the baseball today.” the Red Raiders got on the board for the first time Zach Lehman started off the second reaching on an error by the Tigers Parker Capparelle doubled to move Lehman up to third on the play Cody Houser reached base on a Hollidaysburg miscue Hollidaysburg got one run back in the top of the third when Gibbons hit a shot with the wind behind his hit scoring a solo homer to make it an 11-2 contest Bellefonte was held scoreless in the third and Hollidaysburg would two more runs to its lead in the fourth as the semblance of progress the Red Raiders made evaporated The score would remain 13-2 going into the bottom of the fifth as pinch hitter Quinton Crouthamel roped a high-flying double to start off the inning getting to third on a slapping single from Peyton Vancas and later scoring on a sacrifice fly from pinch hitter Caleb Auman the Red Raiders failed to secure the additional run it needed to extend the game They will now get some rest as they will not be back in action until next Tuesday when they battle rival Bald Eagle Area Top Hollidaysburg hitters: Josh Banks 2-4 2 runs Top Bellefonte hitters: Quinton Crouthamel MILL HALL — Both Jersey Shore and Central Mountain have had great starts to their 2025 season Expected rain in the forecast on Saturday in addition to possible showers on Monday has caused the District 4 boys .. Sugar Valley rallied from an early three-run deficit and pulled off a shocking upset Copyright © 2025 Ogden Publications of Pennsylvania HOLLIDAYSBURG – In a splendid high school football game that featured a moment of truth in the final seconds the Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers used a great defensive stand to hold off Jersey Shore Jersey Shore marched from its own 8-yard line in eight plays to gain a first-and-goal at the Hollidaysburg 2 with under a minute left The Tigers’ defense held Jersey Shore to a single yard on two running plays into the line a bad exchange in the middle of a scrum on third down was recovered by Hollidaysburg junior outside linebacker Josh Banks back at the 10-yard line preserving the Golden Tigers’ victory in Hollidaysburg’s homecoming game and I had a thought in the back of my mind that I had to make a big play,” Banks said The play ended a game in which neither team truly deserved to lose “They’re a really good team,” Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said of the Bulldogs “The way that they battled back and drove down the field it was unfortunate for them that things happened the way that they did I was praying at the end – and we got three stops there and recovered the fumble “We had a total team effort where a lot of different guys made big plays,” DeLattre said “I think that we had a great effort in all three phases of the game tonight – offense defense and special teams – and to beat a team that’s as good as they are requires a total team effort.” tipped his proverbial cap to Hollidaysburg “Hats off to Hollidaysburg – they made one more play than we did at the end of the game,” Gravish said “Homer does a great job with them and they’re a great team Now we have to get back to the drawing board.” Jersey Shore was without the services of its placekicker in the second half after he had been ejected for drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the first half A potential game-winning field goal was therefore not an option for the Bulldogs “I had a play planned for fourth down if we got to that but the ball squirted out into the backfield on the third-down exchange,” Gravish said “I’m not sure what happened there.” Jersey Shore senior quarterback Elijah Jordan had a monster game completing 14 of 30 passes for 167 yards and four touchdowns including three scoring throws to senior wideout Evan Snyder Jordan also rushed 22 times for a team-leading 77 yards “We didn’t execute,” Jordan said of his team This was a playoff atmosphere where it is important to keep your composure.” overcame deficits of 13-0 in the first quarter and 19-17 in the third quarter to take a 24-19 lead on senior quarterback Maddox Bainey’s 22-yard scoring toss to senior wideout Brady Steiner who made an acrobatic catch in the corner of the end zone with 1:44 left in the third period and I just made the catch,” Steiner said Bainey completed 20 of 36 passes for 221 yards and also ran 2 yards for a second-quarter score to give Hollidaysburg a 17-13 lead at halftime The teams battled back and forth in the second half with Jersey Shore taking a 19-17 lead on Jordan’s 14-yard scoring pass to Trent Severino in the third quarter After the Bainey touchdown pass to Steiner Paul Wedel kicked his second 35-yard field goal of the night to give Hollidaysburg a 27-19 lead Snyder made a circus touchdown catch of Jordan’s 27-yard pass with 7:45 left in the game to pull Jersey Shore to within 27-25 but Jordan’s 2-point conversion pass was picked off by junior Kaden McCrystal in the end zone as Hollidaysburg maintained the lead It’s not a coincidence that in the first year that the Lycoming College baseball team had a true home field since .. KITTANNING – Leading by 11 points going into the fourth quarter South Fayette girls basketball coach Bryan Bennett decided to go to a stall offense It’s not a strategy the Lions deploy often but you wouldn’t have known that with the way they executed down the stretch The Lions moved the ball around with crisp passes and forced a Hollidaysburg team that was already in foul trouble to foul more It kept the Golden Tigers at arm’s length and South Fayette closed out a 70-52 victory in the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals Saturday at Armstrong High School “It showed that our kids are focused,” Bennett said about changing to a stall offense “It’s the first time we’ve done it all year We have things that we practice that we’ve never had to show because of some of the outcomes we’ve had hold the ball against a team as disciplined and well-coached as Hollidaysburg is.” the Lions earned a trip to the state semifinals where they will have a rematch with Peters Township The Indians ended South Fayette’s three-year run as WPIAL champions with a 40-36 win in this year’s district final on March 1 South Fayette led 53-42 after three quarters and then went into their holding pattern Two Hollidaysburg starters Clare Padamonsky and Makenna Weimert picked up their fourth foul before South Fayette took a shot Hollidaysburg ended up with four starters having four fouls The Lions ran three minutes off the clock before Juliette Leroux scored the first basket of the fourth in the quarter and went seven of eight from the free throw line She had eight points in the fourth quarter taking advantage of some space from the Lions spreading out on the floor “Juju is just a tough matchup with her size,” Bennett said “She has the ability to shoot outside but when she gets inside she’s so crafty “We were able to get some easy drives for her when we opened it up for her a little bit.” including a technical foul before it even started because Hollidaysburg brought the wrong uniforms “I told the officials,” Hollidaysburg coach Deanna Jubeck said “It was on me Probably about an hour before the game I told them That wasn’t the difference between the win or loss.” Haylie Lamonde went to the free throw line for the technical and sank both Then South Fayette got the ball out of bounds The Lions (27-2) used the momentum to build a 19-8 lead by the end of the first quarter Hollidaysburg (25-4) responded with a strong second to get the deficit down to eight at halftime and Lauren Stevenson canned a 3-pointer out of the break to get to within five “They’re the full package,” Jubeck said of South Fayette They’re going to be a tough out for whoever they play.” Leroux converted layups on consecutive possessions to increase the lead to 49-36 and South Fayette led by double-digits the rest of the way Bennett was pleased with how his team responded to Hollidaysburg closing the gap early in the third and the poise his team showed closing the game out “We haven’t been tested a ton this year but we’ve had enough games like this that the kids just don’t get rattled,” Bennett said “I thought they did a good job with their shot selection Bad things are going to happen and teams are going to make runs Lailah Wright scored 11 and Oldaker had 10 Weimert led Hollidaysburg with 15 points and Bella Vent If you have an account and are registered for online access sign in with your email address and password below Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe Copyright © Observer-Reporter | Contact | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy A site featuring work of Bellisario College students and related media This dialog contains the full navigation menu for bellisariostudentmedia.psu.edu - Bella Vent’s all-star performance for the Golden Tigers gave them the 64-38 win Vent scored her 1000th career point as they celebrated her and her teammates on senior night Vent electrified the offense after a sloppy move by Bishop Carroll getting a steal leading to two more points for Hollidaysburg she scored again after receiving a no-look pass from teammate Lauren Stevenson Lauren gave up the basket for me because she knew so that really touched my heart right there,” Vent said Vent and her teammates celebrating her 1000th point The Golden Tigers dominated the first quarter ending 25-7.Clare Padamonsky stayed dominant starting off Hollidaysburg’s second quarter with two foul shots Bishop Carroll’s Ava Pablic responded by getting the Lady Huskies their first points of the period Sloppiness by Hollidaysburg would allow the Huskies to shoot for two making the score 30-14 Jillian Sidney ended the Golden Tigers dry streak scoring a three after more than two minutes of no score Just a minute later towards the end of the half Hollidaysburg running the ball down the court Maddie Lieb got the ball rolling for the Huskies halfway through the third with a three pointer as Hollidaysburg ended the third quarter 49-24 Vent ran up her career points with another three in the fourth period After a successful night for Vent and the rest of the team the Golden Tigers extended their winning streak to 13 Jennae Overton is a first-year majoring journalism and community, environment, development. To contact her, email jco5323@psu.edu. HOLLIDAYSBURG — After a two-week holiday layoff from game competition, it took a little while for the Hollidaysburg Lady Tigers to get their bearings in what was the second game of a boys-girls Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference basketball doubleheader with Forest Hills Friday night at the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School gymnasium. Hollidaysburg converted just seven of its 35 first-half floor shots and found itself clinging to a 21-18 halftime lead. But the Lady Tigers turned the page nicely in the third quarter, carrying the period, 30-11 by virtue of some excellent defensive pressure, to post a 58-41 victory. “We just came out with more intensity on the defensive end in the third quarter, and our defense created some offense for us,” said Hollidaysburg coach Deanna Jubeck, whose team improved to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play. “We forced them into some turnovers, and we got some easy layup opportunities.” Leading by just five points, 31-26, early in the third quarter, Hollidaysburg broke the game open with a 12-point run to go ahead, 43-26. Junior forward Makenna Weimert, who scored 16 points, ignited the rally with a steal and layup, and junior post Clare Padamonsky, who chipped in 12 points, followed with a pair of free throws and a fast-break layup, Hollidaysburg senior guard Bella Vent, who scored 13 of her team-high 17 points in the third period, registered a fast-break layup, and Padamonsky and Vent capped off the 12-point Lady Tigers’ surge with two more field goals. “We hadn’t played in an actual game in two weeks before tonight, and it took us awhile to get the cobwebs out,” Jubeck said. “But once we got our legs under us in the third quarter, we were in good shape.” Hollidaysburg had a commanding 51-29 lead after three quarters, and had put the game on ice. “In the third quarter, their press was killing us,” said Forest Hills coach Carol Cecere, whose team dropped to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the conference. “Their defense gave us a lot of trouble, and Weimert and Vent combined for 33 points. That’s dang good.” Junior guard Aivah Maul led all scorers with 18 points for Forest Hills, which also got a double-digit (10) rebounding effort from junior forward/center Eva Myers. Padamonsky and Weimert tied for game honors in rebounding, as both grabbed 13 for Hollidaysburg, which held a 40-31 overall advantage on the boards. Forest Hills converted 15 of 44 floor shots in the game for a 34.9 percent clip, while Hollidaysburg made 22 of 69 for 31.8 percent, including 15 of 34 for 44.1 percent in the second half. “We were able to settle ourselves in the second half, and we had three people in double figures tonight, which we’ve been doing in our last couple of games,” Jubeck said. “If we can continue to do that, we’ll be a tough team to guard down the stretch run of this season.” FOREST HILLS (41): Maul 6 5-10 18, Spangler 3 0-0 7, Gdula 1 0-0 2, Myers 2 0-0 4, Pcola 1 0-0 2, Carpenter 1 2-2 4, Lashinsky 0 0-0 0, Baumgardner 0 2-2 2, Papcunik 0 0-0 0, Faith 1 0-0 2, Martin 0 0-0 0, Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals – 15 9-14 41. HOLLIDAYSBURG (58): Stevenson 0 0-0 0, Vent 8 1-3 17, Padamonsky 5 2-4 12, Weimert 5 6-9 16, Heim 1 3-5 5, Steiner 1 0-2 2, Sidney 2 0-0 6, Lear 0 0-0 0, Leighty 0 0-0 0, Basenback 0-0 0, Gearhart 0 0-0 0, Buffone 0 0-2 0, Hayer 0 0-0 0. Totals – 22 12-23 58. 3-point goals: Forest Hills 2 (Maul, Spangler); Hollidaysburg 2 (Sidney 2). Records: Forest Hills (5-4 overall, 3-2 in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference); Hollidaysburg (7-1, 5-0). Officials: Clark Adelman, Randy Burkett, Jack McDougal. PITTSBURGH — The 20-year-old man who fell from the top of a 21-foot-high wall onto the warning track at PNC Park ... Copyright © 2025 Central Pennsylvania Newspapers, LLC | https://www.altoonamirror.com | 301 Cayuga Ave., Altoona, PA 16602 | 814-946-7411 Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. Hollidaysburg breaks ground on new public works office to improve worker facilitiesby WJAC staff the Borough of Hollidaysburg held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its new public works office The office will be located adjacent to the current one and it will allow for things like the business office and break room to be separate from the vehicle maintenance bay is that we eat in our maintenance room; where we would be painting people coming and going,” says public works director Amy Hazlett The funding for the project was secured late last year and it should be completed within six months HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Bishop Guilfoyle Academy Marauders are a fast athletic team that poses a supreme challenge for its opponents to defend and they shoot the ball from all spots on the floor equally well Bishop Guilfoyle pushed the pace for most of four quarters Wednesday night in a Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference game at the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School gymnasium Three players reached double figures for the Marauders who improved to 10-3 overall and 9-0 in the conference Junior guard Tyson Lestochi scored a game-high 18 points for BG eight rebounds and four steals from junior forward Taurean Consiglio and 10 points and eight rebounds from junior forward Jake Kissell “I thought all three of those players were very good tonight,” BG coach Ryan Lestochi said of Consiglio “We always want to be aggressive in the paint and we were tonight (modus operandi) has always been balanced scoring four or five players in double figures in our games.” BG led by as many as nine points twice in the third quarter before Hollidaysburg used a 10-4 run capped off by senior forward Kasen Metzger’s field goal to pull to within 37-34 BG responded by scoring 16 of the game’s next 24 points building a 53-42 lead early in the fourth quarter After Tyson Lestochi closed the third quarter with a steal and layup Consiglio opened the fourth quarter with a bucket on a putback and then scored on a fast-break layup to give the Marauders a 44-34 edge A 3-pointer by Hollidaysburg junior guard Jayden Wolfe pulled the Tigers to within 44-37 but Consiglio converted a Hamilton Gates assist into a field goal Tyson Lestochi scored on a nifty spinning shot from the key and Consiglio scored another layup off the fast break to put BG up Kissell scored on a putback and Tyson Lestochi made one of two free throws to stake BG to the 53-42 advantage and we wanted to get back to playing with a little more pace in the second half,” Ryan Lestochi said “Give Hollidayburg credit – every time they got down Tyson Lestochi felt that it was a good back-and-forth game but I still don’t think that we played at the level that we are capable of playing,” Tyson Lestochi said Consiglio scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter “I think it’s all about mental toughness and not giving up,” Consiglio said “We wanted to keep our pace up through the game and I think that we did that well tonight.” 9-2) got 12 points apiece from Wolfe and senior guard Brady Steiner other than that run they put together from late in the third quarter to early in the fourth quarter we played pretty well,” Hollidaysburg coach Brad Lear said “They’re averaging close to 70 points a game this year “But for a period there in the second half Consiglio kind of took over for them and got to the basket whenever he wanted,” Lear added “Our effort is always going to be there and our guys don’t quit and they keep coming at opponents but hats off to BG – they were the better team tonight.” Game notes: Metzger’s six rebounds led Hollidaysburg when the Golden Tigers visit Tyrone … BG visits Penn Cambria Friday night 3-point goals: Bishop Guilfoyle 4 (Foor 2 9-0 in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference); Hollidaysburg (12-2 Josh Banks (1) and Robbie Mullen (8) combine for the tackle on Dubios TE Isaiah Korney HOLLIDAYSBURG — Hollidaysburg began Friday night’s contest by getting a few breaks to go its way The Golden Tigers finished up in the trenches with a ground-and-pound style that kept the ball out of the hands of a DuBois offense that showed the potential to score with big plays The defense did its part in the second half and Hollidaysburg rode the momentum on both sides of the ball to a 28-23 victory to capture the District 6-8-9-10 Class 5A championship at Tiger Stadium the momentum is just great,” Hollidaysburg quarterback Maddox Bainey said “I think we were able to get that because we just had the right mentality going in — we were ready to play.” Hollidaysburg was forced to punt on the opening drive of the second half and when Paul Wedel’s boot went off the side of his foot for a 15-yard kick DuBois had the ball at the Hollidaysburg 30 After four straight runs produced a first down Beavers quarterback Trey Wingard threw incompletions on the next four downs to give the Tigers the ball back at their own 25 Hollidaysburg mixed in three pass completions with seven runs behind a stacked offensive line that paved the way at the end for a Bainey keeper from 9 yards out that capped off the 75-yard drive and gave the Tigers the eventual winning points by stretching the lead to 28-17 with 3:18 remaining in the third stanza “Once we got the lead and got the wind it’s not a good idea to throw the ball we were trying to finish it running the football We had some good push on our offensive line We had that 75-yard drive in the third quarter mixing the run and the pass with that one.” Player of the game: The Golden Tigers’ offensive line of Kolby Long Matthew Walters and Jackson York were big difference makers in both the passing game by giving Bainey time to find his receivers but also in running the ball to the tune of 155 yards “I think we just needed to make sure we made a statement (with the 75-yard drive) and got the guys on the line to make sure we got down there for the score,” senior center McCoy said Getting the break: Hollidaysburg got on the board first on a Bainey 8-yard pass that deflected off a DuBois defender and straight to Cole DeLattre at 7:44 of the opening quarter “It’s just nice to know that they (skill guys) are doing those great things because of us (offensive line blocking to give them time),” McCoy said “Football is ultimately a team sport We’re all behind each other the whole game.” Getting the break yet again: The Golden Tigers made the score 14-0 at 4:31 of the first stanza when Baronner scored on a 5-yard run where he was able to recover his own fumble just inside the end zone “We had two breaks go our way — Cole made a nice catch and Mitchell stuck to it when he fumbled and was able to recover,” Coach DeLattre said “They kept playing hard and played the whole play — that’s what we ask them to do.” Unsung hero: Bainey was 15-of-20 passing for 173 yards and no interceptions In addition to his 9-yard scamper and TD pass to Cole DeLattre on a 24-yard scoring strike that put the Tigers up 21-10 at 5:48 of the second quarter Most vital statistic: Hollidaysburg fumbled the ball away twice in DuBois territory in the second half when it potentially could have come away with some points the defense minimized the damage as it forced a turnover on downs after the first the Beavers were able to capitalize on the second as Trey Wingard completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jaxson Hanzely with 4:36 left to play to set the final DuBois coach TJ Wingard: “Hollidaysburg is obviously a solid team and I thought we were pretty solid tonight We said in games like this that there’s probably going to be about 155 plays on film and 8-10 are going to be the game changers I bet you when I go back and watch that film that scores probably five or six points the other way.” Notable: Hollidaysburg’s Gavin Bell broke up Trey Wingard’s last ditch deep throw downfield to end the game … Wedel’s second punt was a 45-yarder that pinned DuBois back at its own 5 with only 23 seconds to go in the contest Ethan Rhodes came up with two sacks and Cristian White had one for Hollidaysburg in the second half … In addition to the late touchdown pass to Hanzely completed a 14-yard pass to Carter Vos to make the score 14-7 with 2:11 in the first stanza and then scored from 2 yards out to make the halftime score 21-17 in favor of the Tigers … Kyan Peck made the score 14-10 with a 35-yard field goal … The Beavers’ Noah Crawford recovered the first fumble Records: DuBois (8-4); Hollidaysburg (11-1) Next week: DuBois’ season is complete; Hollidaysburg plays the District 2 champion — the winner of today’s game between Delaware Valley and Abington Heights — in the PIAA state playoffs next Friday or Saturday at a site and time to be determined H–DeLattre 8 pass from Bainey (Wedel kick) D–Vos 14 pass from Wingard (McCleary kick) H–Steiner 24 pass from Bainey (Wedel kick) D–Hanzely 13 pass from Wingard (pass failed) Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 23-43-0 15-21-0 MECHANICSBURG — Hollidaysburg knew it would have to play close to perfect to win its PIAA Class 5A quarterfinal game against District 12 champion Roman Catholic on Friday at John Frederick Field It didn’t take long before perfection was a lost cause Roman Catholic linebacker Will Felder intercepted the Golden Tigers’ second pass of the game and returned it to the Hollidaysburg 5-yard line JoJo Delecce punched in a score from 2 yards out and after Hollidaysburg went three-and-out on its next possession The Cahillites slowed down a little bit after the first quarter but Hollidaysburg never got back into the game in a 48-14 season-ending loss “It seemed like before we blinked it was 28-0,” Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said when you make small mistakes against really good teams I think some of those mistakes we made were minor but when you make them against a great team with great team speed It’s a credit to them as well.” The loss ended a historic season for the Golden Tigers who started 13-0 and won 13 games for the first time in school history “These guys have played 35 football games against 30 playoff opponents,” DeLattre said “I don’t think you’ll find another group of seniors that have played the caliber of teams that these guys have this team has to go down as one of the best in the 100-plus year history of our school.” Hollidaysburg dealt with several injuries — none more serious than sophomore Spencer Davis suffering sudden cardiac arrest and nearly dying at a practice before Hollidaysburg athletic trainer Amy Smearman and several coaches helped save his life with CPR and an AED Hollidaysburg was able to defeat Mifflinburg and FaceTime with Davis from the hospital “We have been through so much this year,” DeLattre said “They came to practice every day and believed in the coaches and each other These seniors went from 2-8 and progressed to this year It was awesome to watch them grow as football players and people.” Roman Catholic proved to be too great of a challenge thanks to three Hollidaysburg turnovers and a Cahillite rushing attack that piled up 258 yards led by Delecce’s 109 on just 10 carries has 26 Division I college offers including Alabama but the Golden Tigers limited him on the ground including a 70-yarder to Rayshawn Scott that showed off impressive arm strength “I have to salute the line,” Beals said Play of the game: Felder’s interception on Hollidaysburg’s first series sent the Golden Tigers into a tailspin “That was huge,” Roman Catholic coach Rick Prete said “It set the tone and put the momentum into our favor.” Player of the game: Scott finished with six catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns Unsung hero: Hollidaysburg senior running back Mitchell Baronner went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season with a 48-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and finished with a team-high 66 yards on the ground for the Tigers “He’s definitely developed into a great running back the last couple years,” DeLattre said There are some 1,000-yard rushers who run through gaping holes and there are others that have to take a lot of punishment and he took a lot of punishment and kept running hard and believed in his line.” Most vital statistic: Roman Catholic gained 312 yards in the first half alone and finished with 457 “They had crazy speed,” Hollidaysburg senior quarterback Maddox Bainey said “Speed like I have never seen before.” We have had a ton of adversity whether it’s on the field or personal we’ll be upset no matter how it goes because we lose a bunch of kids we won’t see anymore who are family to us It means the world that we’re still playing.” Baronner: “I’ll remember us playing together throughout the entire year,” Baronner said “We always lifted each other up and played together To go down in school history and have a season for the record books is amazing This is the closest team I have ever been part of I couldn’t ask to be part of a better program and have better guys to play with.” This is the closest I have ever been with a team I can’t really pick a favorite memory because there are so many good ones.” Beals: “We have been putting in work for a long time but we don’t deserve anything — we have to go out and take it.” Notable: Gavin Bell caught Hollidaysburg’s first touchdown a 21-yard strike from Bainey that made it 28-6 early in the second quarter and the senior finished with five catches for 51 yards … Louis Gaddy and Eyan Stead had Roman Catholic’s other interceptions … Senior Jay Albarano caught a two-point conversion pass from Bainey after Baronner’s touchdown Records: Hollidaysburg (13-1); Roman Catholic (10-4) Next week: Roman Catholic plays West Chester Rustin a 34-2 winner over Springfield Delco in the PIAA semifinals next weekend Hollidaysburg closes the book on its best season by record in school history RC–Stead 17 pass from Beals (Pollack kick) RC–Scott 70 pass from Beals (Pollack kick) H–Bell 21 pass from Bainey (pass failed) RC–Scott 2 pass from Beals (kick blocked) H–Baronner 48 run (Albarano pass from Bainey) HOLLIDAYSBURG — Vince Albarano took over the starting point guard position for the Hollidaysburg boys basketball team a few weeks into the season That move is paying dividends for the Golden Tigers The 15-year-old freshman registered a rare triple-double Tuesday night as No 2 seed Hollidaysburg rolled to a 60-27 victory over No 3 seed Central Mountain in a District 6 Class 5A semifinal playoff game Albarano used his slender 6-foot frame to his advantage grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists as the Tigers (21-3) advanced to their second consecutive district championship game and for a freshman to move into that role after not starting the first couple games is pretty darn good,” Hollidaysburg coach Brad Lear said “It’s nice that we’re going to have him for the next three years He is a very confident player for a freshman complementary basketball when you can count on somebody to do what he did he had some people open and missed with passes so it could have been even better (numbers).” Next up for Hollidaysburg is a rematch with No The game will be played either Friday or Saturday at an undetermined site The Trojans have won the last two District 6 4A championships and handed the Tigers an 81-58 setback last week in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference semifinals but Johnstown is kind of out of this world,” Lear said “That game was the measuring stick for us We tried some things that didn’t work Central Mountain (9-14) pulled to within 10-9 with a little over a minute left in the first quarter But the Tigers outscored the Wildcats 25-7 the rest of the way Albarano scored all 10 of his points in the first half He also handed out a number of assists on similar baskets “We all talk about going into transition and when you get the ball off a rebound “That’s pretty cool,” Vince Albarano said He scored nine of his game-high 15 points in the third quarter when the Tigers invoked a running clock with a 30-point lead They outscored the Wildcats 25-11 over the final 16 minutes “We were just waiting on Johnstown,” Lear said the Tigers suffered a 54-52 loss to Selinsgrove in the District 4-6 Class 5A championship game Johnstown has won 31 district titles overall “We’re going to have to play our best game,” Vince Albarano said We’ve got two days of practice and then we’re back at it One thing we have to do is be better on defense.” 3-point goals: Central Mountain 2 (Verrelli Records: Central Mountain (9-14); Hollidaysburg (21-3) HOLLIDAYSBURG — Almost two months to the day that forever altered the trajectory of his life the Hollidaysburg community came out in a show of support for Spencer Davis and his newly formed CPR support foundation Both the main and auxiliary gyms at Hollidaysburg Area Senior High were packed for the Anyone Can Help Awareness Fair on Thursday night which was hosted by ZOLL Cardiac Management Solutions was a celebration of the individuals whose quick thinking saved Davis’ life when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during a football practice at C.W 18 and a call to action — that CPR classes can save lives said that it has been a “crazy” two months since she witnessed her son lying motionless on the field “It’s hard to believe that two months ago we didn’t know what Spencer’s outcome would be he is going to make a full recovery,” Jen Davis said “We’re here to raise awareness and make changes.” District medical trainer Amy Smearman intervened with an automatic external defibrillator (AED) device after getting a call from football coach Homer DeLattre that Davis had collapsed on the field AEDs shock the heart back into normal rhythm during a cardiac event after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) Pennsylvania is one of 30 states that do not require AED devices in public schools so Spencer Davis said he wants to use his own experience as a springboard to promote the life-saving importance of publicly accessible AEDs through the nonprofit Spencer Davis Foundation “Other schools just don’t have (AEDs) so our goal is to make changes and provide awareness and get AEDs and CPR training out there for people,” Jen Davis said there is a three-minute window that begins after CPR is first administered to restart the patient’s heart with a defibrillator before they experience neurological deficits “So our plan is getting more AEDs that are more accessible,” Jen Davis said Spencer is making steady progress in recovery Spencer Davis said that one change will be a switch from football “(Baseball) has always been my main thing for conditioning,” Spencer Davis said it was “awesome” seeing the strong turnout from his senior high classmates I’m just happy they’re all here and learning (about CPR),” Spencer Davis said The Hollidaysburg community has been a source of strength for the entire Davis family in the two months since the event “It’s like you can’t go anywhere without somebody saying ‘How are you feeling … we’ve been praying for you’ just so many people,” Jen Davis said “People have just been amazing with their love toward him.” raffle baskets and representatives from local health care providers like UPMC Altoona and Conemaugh Nason Senior director of global marketing Karen Jasmin said that ZOLL’s Anything Can Happen campaign aims to help communities get prepared with AEDs and CPR training Davis’ successful outcome was the result of the people nearby having completed CPR training and had the skills to step in “We do a lot of training so word keeps getting out and that people are prepared,” she said ZOLL donated AED devices to both the district and the Spencer Davis Foundation and offered free CPR instruction during the event Hollidaysburg athletic director and football coach Homer DeLattre said that the event’s turnout was “unbelievable,” noting the student attendance and representatives from several community groups DeLattre played a critical role in the moment when Davis collapsed and now advocates for school districts to adopt emergency action plans similar to the version at Hollidaysburg that enabled the immediate response to Davis’ cardiac arrest but then when you do it’s off muscle memory,” DeLattre said The event was capped off with a presentation honoring the first responders health care workers and district staff whose intervention was essential to Davis’ recovery Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin addressed Davis through a prerecorded video at the end of the ceremony Hamlin experienced a Sudden Cardiac Arrest during an NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2023 where his life was saved by a promptly deployed AED device and CPR suffered from a rare condition called commotio cordis which is a disruption of normal cardiac rhythm caused by an impact to the chest during a brief period of the heartbeat cycle “I know it doesn’t seem like it right now but you will come back from this stronger … you’re an inspiration to your community and everyone around you,” Hamlin told Davis during the video which was shown on a projector screen during the Heros Ceremony presentation The western Pennsylvania native also acknowledged Davis’ football teammates saying that their continued support is essential to Davis’ healing process “The support of my team is what enabled the biggest comeback in my entire life,” Hamlin said HOLLIDAYSBURG — Hollidaysburg beat Friday’s playoff opponent A significant number of players from that game opted not to play and did not make the trip from Pittsburgh resulting in another mercy-rule win for the Golden Tigers “Their coach said a number of their guys decided to hang it up for the year They’re better people for it,” Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said Hollidaysburg stormed out to a 27-0 lead with four first-quarter touchdowns on its way to a 41-8 win in the D6-8-9-10 Class 5A semifinals at Tiger Stadium The competitive portion of the game ended early as Hollidaysburg started subbing after the opening drive Hollidaysburg outgained the Dragons 154-7 in the first quarter we started rotating guys in and out,” DeLattre “Our goal in the postseason is to run the ball That’s what you’ve gotta do — run the ball stop the run and be efficient in the passing game.” Player of the game: Hollidaysburg’s Mitchell Baronner ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries Plays of the game: After ripping off runs of 13 and 17 yards on the opening possession He followed that up with runs of 10 and 15 yards before scoring from 1-yard out on the second possession “I can’t take any of the credit,” Baronner said “It’s all them (the offensive line) That’s how I’m able to run so well.” One play after an Allderdice turnover on downs later in the first quarter quarterback Maddox Bainey hit Brady Steiner in the back corner for an 18-yard touchdown Baronner capped Hollidaysburg’s scoring for the night with a 57-yard TD run splitting the safeties and outracing them to the end zone Unsung heroes: Right tackle Wyatt Maines leads an offensive line that has propelled the offense all season Maines: “Our O-line is getting better every game When we play the right way with the right fundamentals we’ll run the ball for 150-plus yards every game.” Sophomore Joey Richardson had a pair of sacks in the first half I saw the quarterback and went after him.” Notes: With Hollidaysburg leading 41-0 at halftime the running clock was in effect the entire second half and both coaches agreed to reduce the third and fourth quarters from 12 to 8 minutes Allderdice coach Mark Matson: “I asked for that Next week: Allderdice’s season is completed Hollidaysburg hosts DuBois in the District D6-8-9-10 5A championship game H–Steiner 18 pass from Bainey (Wedel kick) A–Turner 95 pass from Redman (Venson run) Rushes-yards 18-(-14) 31-241 HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Presbyterian Village at Hollidaysburg is embarking on a milestone — the Gaysport continuing care retirement community is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025 “It’s an honor and privilege to be part of celebrating the community’s 100th anniversary with our current residents and team,” said Stephanie Aspinall who has worked at Presbyterian Village since 2005 and has been executive director since August 2022 “It truly is a testament to the amazing work and care that all of the staff that have come before us have accomplished,” Aspinall said of the community’s longevity “I’m amazed when I think of how many individuals in the Blair County area we have served as residents over 100 years and how many lives we have positively impacted.” The 100-year mark offers a time of reflection for the “dedication service and commitment of generations of individuals who helped shape the vibrant community we know today,” said Dan Davis president/CEO of Presbyterian Senior Living “What began as a mission to care for seniors who could no longer care for themselves has blossomed into something far greater — a dynamic community where older adults continue to learn develop new interests and live their best lives,” he said “As today’s stewards of this legacy we embrace our responsibility to ensure that Presbyterian Homes remains a cornerstone of senior care and enrichment for generations to come.” The history of the home dates back to 1842 when the original building was constructed where the personal care section of the village stands today The “Keller House” was purchased by Presbyterian Homes in 1924 and an adjoining property was also purchased and then began the plan of the Presbyterian Home of the Presbytery of Huntingdon to provide housing for aged Presbyterian women Due in part to a sizable donation from James Dysart The Presbyterian Home officially opened its doors to 22 women on Dec John Martin was appointed administrator of the home in 1954 It was Martin who was in charge when a fire damaged the Hollidaysburg home in 1957 and in 1972 when Hurricane Agnes ravaged the Gaysport area and flooded the home Dealing with significant repair and restoration renovations were completed on what is now Presbyterian Village at Hollidaysburg Admission of the first men and couples came along with those renovations The 1980s and 1990s marked a period of significant growth Westminster House apartments were opened in 1984 with the cottages in Westminster Square debuting in 1988 Additional renovations continued to the South Wing in 1987 and the North Wing in 1994 With the construction of the Westminster House and Westminster Square combined with the South Wing renovations Presbyterian Village at Hollidaysburg became Blair County’s first continuing care retirement community the most significant change in the history of Presbyterian Village at Hollidaysburg occurred with an affiliation agreement of the Presbyterian Homes in the Presbytery of Huntingdon and Presbyterian Homes Inc That affiliation effectively brought the local community into the Presbyterian Homes Inc (now Presbyterian Senior Living) family as a subsidiary corporation Presbyterian Village at Hollidaysburg is part of a not-for-profit organization providing retirement and senior care services “While this occurred before my tenure it has been a critical step in ensuring that Presbyterian Village at Hollidaysburg will be around for 100 more years as the long term care industry changes and grows It’s wonderful to have the support of (Presbyterian Senior Living) and our sister communities,” Aspinall said Maintenance free apartment living is offered in two locations — Westminster House and the newly constructed Inglenook at Presbyterian Village Inglenook welcomed its first residents in summer 2018 Inglenook is connected to skilled care and personal care centers Presbyterian Village at Hollidaysburg has 67 beds in its skilled nursing facility 43 personal care units and 72 independent living facilities “We always say that we are ‘a neighborhood within a neighborhood.’ We’re nestled in the Gaysport neighborhood in Hollidaysburg and our residents enjoy that friendly small town atmosphere,” Aspinall said “The residents are always actively engaged in planning events outings and various programs to enjoy together.” have lived in an independent apartment in Inglenook for more than two years who live in the Parkview Condominiums behind Jethro’s acknowledge that they are getting older and need more services “Inglenook is connected to skilled care and personal care centers it is one of the things we liked and was part of our choice,” Ballash said “We wanted a continuing care community.” have been in an independent cottage for more than a year after living in a four-story house between Ebensburg and Nanty Glo “We needed a place that was easy to get around accessible and had activities,” Linda Novak said “We looked at other facilities and we settled on this they like the friendly atmosphere and the ability to get to know the other residents “It is like a family watching out for each other We are in an independent cottage and it feels like home,” she said “They have progressive care; when we need it we have access to it and can receive extra care.” The transition from their large home to the cottage “was a nice stepping stone,” she said “We don’t have to worry about outside and inside maintenance It is nice to just sit back and enjoy life without the work with a significant number across various departments “with tenures upwards of 20 “We just had an employee retire in 2024 with over 50 years at the village which is an amazing accomplishment.” Aspinall credits the village’s success to dedicated team members “Every single department and position has been critical in ensuring the residents have received amazing care and services over the last 100 years,” she said “I see their compassion and hard work every day as I walk the halls and see what they do It takes a special person to work in long term care and they show this commitment every day.” Aspinall said adapting to change has been important to the Presbyterian Village’s growth and success “Health care and specifically the long-term care industry has had to constantly pivot over the years to adapt to changing regulations insurance and financial changes,” she said not to mention the ever evolving preferences of the residents Having support from Presbyterian Senior Living as well as the surrounding community and dedicated staff brought continued growth While there are no expansion plans at the moment “we are looking forward to modernizing our front entrance along Newry Street in the coming year,” she said adding Presbyterian Village is set for the future “I believe the team at Presbyterian Village is poised to continue serving seniors in Blair County for the next 100 years and beyond I see us continuing to evolve with how future generations of residents want to receive their care There will always be a need for aging services and we hope to meet those changing needs in the years to come whatever it may look like,” Aspinall said WINGATE — Central Mountain girls volleyball coach Chip McCann took over the helm of the Wildcats three years ago that meant having to grow up in the postseason in Class AAAA Wednesday night they had their growing up moment as in a back-and-forth District 6 Class AAA championship McCann couldn’t have been more grateful for the efforts of the girls who have been there every year to build for this moment “For these girls that have been here all three years you can’t ask for much more,” he said “They put their heart and soul out here I couldn’t be more proud of them.” Central Mountain jumped out to a 20-14 hole in the first set but an Emily Clapper Kill with a Kenzi McLanahan service ace helped put the Tigers on a 7-2 run which tied the opening stanza at 22 Clapper registered a kill followed by a Central Mountain attack error for the opening set win The Wildcats turned momentum as they went on a 7-1 run during the second powered by a pair of kills from Gabrielle Beaubrun and from Kylie Rauch which helped them take a 21-12 lead “(Beaubrun)’s a phenomenal player,” McCann said “Our girls know she’s phenomenal and any chance they can get the ball to her “She’s not going to do the same thing time after time and make a mistake She encourages the setter to give the ball to the other girls Hollidaysburg pulled within four after a pair of aces from Nora Stanek but that’s about as close as Central Mountain grabbed set two Following some early turbulence in set three the Wildcats went on a 6-0 run as Olivia Sorgen and Rauch registered a pair of finishes to give the Wildcats a 14-11 lead making them chase balls instead of playing the right to them,” McCann said of the Wildcats offensive success “When we seemed to have troubles whenever we would send a free ball right to a girl standing in a spot That was a great high school volleyball match Hats off to Hollidaysburg; they’re a good program but a Clalli McGregor and a Tiger double contact violation ended the comeback “Unforced errors all night,” Hollidaysburg coach Brandon Stitt “We were able to get them out of system They kept giving us the ball and letting us make the error Hollidaysburg took control going on a 12-2 explosion in set four as they picked up finishes from Addi Basenbeck along with two aces and a kill from Cierra Shoop to jump out to a 20-12 lead Central Mountain rallied back to get to within two but Shoop and Delayni Baird’s combo block to force the decisive fifth frame Hollidaysburg would keep set five close until an attack error set off 6-0 match deciding run finished off with one kill apiece by Cora Myers and Katelyn Bowman to finish the match “I’m very fortunate every girl on this team is an awesome kid I couldn’t ask for anything more as a team goes.” Central Mountain’s reward is the WPIAL champion on Tuesday night at a site and time to be announced The WPIAL will hold its championship match on Saturday between Quaker Valley and Hopewell passed away Saturday following a brief illness.  He was born in Altoona son of Joan (Davidson) and the late Joseph Sr.  all of Hollidaysburg; his mother of Hollidaysburg; three sisters: Georgette and Joan; aunts: Anita and Suzi (Tony); nieces & nephews: Natalia and Ben; and many cousins.  He was preceded in death by his grandparents Joe graduated from Hollidaysburg HS in 1994 and earned a BS in Criminal Justice from Juniata College and friends.  He loved playing softball and riding motorcycles.  As a business owner he was very active in the community by donating his time and services to fundraising events Friends will be received from 2-6pm on Thursday July 18 at Sorge Funeral Home & Crematory Inc. where a Vigil service will be held.  A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11am Saturday July 20 at St Hollidaysburg.  Committal at Calvary Cemetery Vincent de Paul Food Pantry: 1523 Adams Avenue Altoona PA 16601 or The Knights of Columbus Star of the Sea Council 4245: 324 Bedford Hollidaysburg Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School band and orchestra will hold concerts on Thursday and eighth and ninth grades will be at 7 p.m Representing the junior high band and orchestra are (from left): front row — Claire Cummings Ava Zanfino and Jada Merriman; back row — Andrew Stump The Blair County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Blair County Youth program will graduate 22 Blair County students .. HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Hollidaysburg girls basketball team has sprinted through the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference in its first two years But one thing missing from the Lady Tigers’ resume was a win in the conference playoffs A year after being upset in the LHAC semifinals at home by Forest Hills Hollidaysburg punched its ticket to the championship game Thursday night with a 67-35 victory over Central Cambria a 62-51 winner over Bishop McCort in the other semi in Friday’s LHAC title game at Penn State Altoona “It’s really awesome making it to the championship game,” Lady Tigers junior Clare Padamonsky said “We definitely didn’t want a repeat of last year We felt like we had a lot more potential than we showed then.” The top two seeds in the East Division sport matching 21-2 records Hollidaysburg beat Bishop Guilfoyle 62-39 last month and has a 99-10 overall record since Feb “When you’re playing for a conference championship I think it increases the will to win a tad bit more,” Hollidaysburg coach Deanna Jubeck said a 6-foot post player with a decided height advantage against Central Cambria’s smaller lineup was one of four Lady Tigers in double figures She tied senior guard Alissa Heim for game honors with 15 points Senior guard Bella Vent finished with 14 points and junior forward Makenna Weimert added 12 “When we’re balanced like that it makes it very difficult on the opponent because they just can’t take one player out of the game,” Jubeck said “They have to focus on everyone we put out there “I think right now our offense is coming together pretty good going into the playoffs I think we’re in a pretty good spot.” Heim scored 13 of her points in the first half and Padamonsky 11 as Hollidaysburg rebounded from early deficits of 3-0 and 9-8 against Central Cambria to grab a 37-23 halftime lead “I think we are doing a really good job of sharing the ball and also getting second-chance opportunities,” Padamonsky said Vent and Weimert each scored nine of their points in the second half as Hollidaysburg outscored Central Cambria 30-12 and forced a running clock in the final few minutes “Our defense always creates opportunities for our offense and when we’re playing well on both ends we’re going to be a tough out going forward,” Jubeck said who had been 6-2 since a 70-44 loss to the Lady Tigers on Jan were led by senior guard Abigail Sheehan’s nine points Padamonsky had 16 points in that earlier meeting for Hollidaysburg while Heim contributed 13 “Hollidaysburg is a great team,” said Central Cambria coach Brittany Bracken “You can tell they are used to winning They’re just a very competitive team “I was proud of our girls and how they came out I thought we started the game with a spark and then Hollidaysburg settled in and did what Hollidaysburg does.” Records: Central Cambria (15-8); Hollidaysburg (21-2) STATE COLLEGE — Champions often balance a fine line between risk and reward The Hollidaysburg Area girls tennis team didn’t just walk that line — they aimed for it The Lady Golden Tigers swept the doubles matches in Wednesday’s District 6 Class 3A championship match against State College and Crosby Denis put the match away with a win at No 1 singles as Hollidaysburg won its second straight title The key to both doubles wins was Hollidaysburg’s willingness to attack the lines to punish State College camping out in the middle of the court Sarah Urban and Katie Klingner made short work of their opponents at No 6-1 win in a match that finished long before the matches on the other courts has been unbelievable,” Hollidaysburg coach Brian Denis said They beat Altoona in about 30 minutes on Monday it’s been — let’s win at No 2 doubles is going to be pretty hard to beat.” Sarah Neatrour and Olivia Panaro followed with a 6-3 “State College is very aggressive in doubles,” Denis said “Part of being a good doubles team is being aggressive the one girl would stand in the middle of the court Girls are usually timid and don’t want to make a mistake but we have been coaching them the last couple weeks that if the line is there Normally doing that a few times keeps girls from cheating to the middle but State College kept cheating toward the middle and we kept burning them down the line.” With the match score at 2-1 after State College’s Emma Chen edged Hollidaysburg’s Emma Moritz at No who was starting to struggle after cruising to a 6-0 first set win Denis had dropped three straight games to fall behind State College’s Joanna Lin But with adversity building and everyone watching her match Hollidaysburg’s top player turned it on and came back to win 6-4 and clinch the match “I have to give Crosby credit,” Brian Denis said “I don’t like to talk about her She showed that at district golf the other day when she was down For myself and Amanda (Faris Denis) as coaches it’s ultra-special that she’s playing tennis after Amanda’s dad coaching and us coaching she’s one of the best competitors I have ever coached and I was happy she was able to pull it out.” closing out the match was important after Hollidaysburg’s win over State College last year ended with her match still in limbo I was still playing when it ended,” Crosby Denis said it felt so good to be the one to close it out It feels so good that we were able to win again with a new lineup and some new girls It’s really great to win back-to-back.” Hollidaysburg’s Grace Muriceak led State College’s Ava Bechtel “We had a chance to see (State College) at district singles and doubles,” Brian Denis said That was indoors at the Summit (Tennis & Athletic Club) so we only have to win one more along the line,’ and those are our two highest returning players “I thought it would be a close match but I know how good Hollidaysburg is in a situation like this,” State College coach Jane Borden said “They are experienced and good players We didn’t have the strongest team going into the season We had an injury to one of our top players who was lost for the season so we had to make adjustments after about the third match and we had a really excellent year.” Hollidaysburg will begin the state playoffs on Tuesday 22 against the third-place finisher from the WPIAL “We knew we had Crosby and Grace coming back For those players to make that huge of a jump and still contribute all year it’s been a total team effort.” Records: Hollidaysburg (16-0); State College (13-2)