Mariana Forteza Site

Thousands of people flocked to downtown State College on a sunny Saturday afternoon to celebrate Pride and the LGBTQ community.



Presented by Centre LGBTQA Support Network, Downtown State College Improvement District and State College Borough, the third annual State College Pride <a href="https://stcodev.wpengine.com/articles/community/parade-festival-among-state-college-pride-events/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">included</a> a parade of colorful floats and marchers through town and a festival in Sidney Friedman Park, among other events throughout the weekend.



State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, served as grand marshal of the parade and festival. A frequent visitor to Centre County, Kenyatta is the first openly LGBTQ person of color elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.



He called 2023 &#8220;probably the most important year for Pride in a really long time,&#8221; noting a vocal anti-LGBTQ contingent and legislation in a number of states, particularly related to transgender individuals. 



&#8220;In this moment, in this Pride year, what we are doing right now, showing up with joy in our hearts, showing up for and with each other in real community, that is critical right now,&#8221; Kenyatta said. &#8220;Because this is actually what our communities look like. This is actually where most people are&#8230; Do not believe the noise and the nonsense that most people are as hateful and vitriolic as some of the politicians who unfortunately get elected&#8230;. For Pride, it’s really critical for us as a community that we recognize our joy does not exist in contrast to their hatred.&#8221;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://henr18y71trtnloh5jkqnqjqt.js.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/pride-2023-kenyatta-lane-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424953"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, State College Pride grand marshal, and Judge Timika Lane lead the 2023 Pride parade. Photo by Geoff Rushton | StateCollege.com</figcaption></figure>



Pennsylvania, Kenyatta said, should aspire to be the best place to live, raise a family and retire for everyone, including LGBTQ people.



&#8220;We deserve to be happy, to be joyous, to be just who you are every single day, no matter what they’re talking about, no matter what they’re doing,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You just be who the hell you are.&#8221;



State College Mayor Ezra Nanes acknowledged that some in attendance may be feeling scared, worried or uncertain because of events nationally. 



&#8220;It’s OK to feel that,&#8221; Nanes said. &#8220;I want you to know that me, Ezra Nanes, my family, the Borough of State College, we are here for you. We will always be here for you. We’re going to keep building on the amazing work that you’ve already done, that we’ve already done together.&#8221;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://henr18y71trtnloh5jkqnqjqt.js.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/pride-2023-3-1024x751.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424937"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://henr18y71trtnloh5jkqnqjqt.js.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/pride-2023-8-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424942"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photos by Geoff Rushton | StateCollege.com</figcaption></figure>



Nanes issued a proclamation last week declaring June as Pride Month in the borough, and as the parent of an LGBTQ child, he called Pride &#8220;not just principle,&#8221; but also personal.



&#8220;One of the greatest joys in life, whether you’re a parent or a sibling or just an adult with a child in your life that matters, is supporting that child in discovering who they are,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I think that’s a really important principle of what Pride is, that we all believe in helping people discover themselves, not telling them who they should be.&#8221;



State Rep. Paul Takac, D-Lemont, said Pride is also personal for him and his family and called it a &#8220;joyful occasion.



&#8220;This represents the absolute best of what State College is and can be,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This sets the standard for what every day should be like. You are not only seen, you are not only accepted, but you should be celebrated and you should be loved. If we could bottle today and make every day like that, wouldn’t this be a better world, a better place to be?&#8221;



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<figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption">Scenes from the 2023 Pride parade in downtown State College. Photos by Geoff Rushton | StateCollege.com</figcaption></figure>



Timika Lane, a Philadelphia judge who is running for Pennsylvania Superior Court in November, emphasized the importance of individuals making their voices heard to ensure all are treated with dignity and respect.



&#8220;We have to decide in Pennsylvania, what is it going to be? Are we going to be a place of love or are we going to be a place of hate?&#8230; Your voice matters,&#8221; Lane said.



Kenyatta urged those in attendance to be true to themselves, knowing that it will inspire someone else to do the same.



&#8220;If we lift each other up, if we encourage each other to be brave, if we remind ourselves that we are the majority of this commonwealth, that we are the majority of this nation, when we do that then we will continue to pull this nation closer to making the ideals of freedom, justice and fairness real for everybody,&#8221; he said. &#8220;No matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter who you love, no matter how you worship or choose not to, here in Pennsylvania it’s about you getting a fair shot and a fair shake. We’re going to keep doing that together.&#8221;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://henr18y71trtnloh5jkqnqjqt.js.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/pride-2023-9-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424943"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo by Geoff Rushton | StateCollege.com</figcaption></figure>



State College Pride has grown substantially since it was first held in 2021. Last year it drew an estimated 4,000 people and organizers expected that number would increase again for the third edition.



The <a href="https://www.centrelgbtqa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centre LGBTQA Support Network</a> (CLSN), which was founded in 2014, has been instrumental in that, as well as in providing resources year round. Sue Marshall, a founding member and current board secretary, said planning for next year&#8217;s Pride will start next week.



In the shorter term, however, CLSN will be celebrating another advancement. A long-planned LGBTQ center for downtown State College will open sometime in August at the corner of Calder Way and South Pugh Street, Marshall said.



&#8220;We can’t wait,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We will have a big opening celebration.&#8221;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://henr18y71trtnloh5jkqnqjqt.js.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/pride-2023-anchor-arrow-2-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424949"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Community members danced while Anchor &amp; Arrow played at the 2023 State College Pride festival on Saturday, June 10, in Sidney Friedman Park. Photo by Geoff Rushton | StateCollege.com</figcaption></figure>

‘Showing Up with Joy in Our Hearts.’ State College Celebrates Pride

There may be just one person who claims not to know who will start at quarterback for Penn State football when the team begins its season against West Virginia on Sept. 2.



While Drew Allar has been set as the presumed successor to longtime starting quarterback Sean Clifford since the day that he stepped onto Penn State’s campus in January 2022, James Franklin didn’t declare a winner to the Nittany Lions’ quarterback competition with 86 days until the season opener.



“We have competition at every single position, every single year, returning starter or not,” Franklin told the media on Thursday. “I think that’s the right thing to do.”



Allar’s competition at the position is Beau Pribula, who, like Allar, was a member of the Nittany Lions’ recruiting Class of 2022. The difference between the two was that Allar was a five-star recruit by the time he arrived on campus. Pribula was a three-star.



More recently, Allar took snaps behind Clifford in the 2022 season. The youngster played in enough games that he was unable to take a redshirt season. By contrast, Pribula didn’t take a snap in a Penn State game until the Blue-White Game in April, when he attempted 22 of his 27 passes with second-string players.



Franklin’s hesitation to name a starter isn’t surprising. Entering his 10th year with Penn State, Franklin wants competition at the position. It’s likely that Allar will only stick around Penn State for two more years. Franklin will need someone to step up when the Ohio native is gone.



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It’s a situation that Franklin has had before. From 2016-17, he had running backs Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders on the same roster. Barkley was a shout for a Heisman candidate in college, and when Sanders turned pro, he reached last season’s Super Bowl as the starting running back for the Philadelphia Eagles.



At Penn State, Barkley was the evident starter. But Franklin said that competition between the two made them both better. If Franklin has his way, the same will happen to Allar and Pribula.



“I think at times there may have been some frustration with that, but I truly believe that type of competition in college really set them up to be successful in the NFL,” Franklin said. “[Barkley] always had somebody behind him trying to take reps away from him. And [Sanders], as a young player, was trying to overtake [Barkley]. So I think that is a healthy position to be in.”



Franklin also has to answer the question of how he’ll use each quarterback. As Mike Yurcich, Penn State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach said at the same press conference, each quarterback has different styles. Gameplans have to be tailored to those styles.



Allar’s been described as a quarterback who’s steady in the pocket. Teammates have raved about his ability to place passes in locations where only a receiver can catch them. Allar can be mobile but his arm is what really sets him apart from the pack.



Pribula, however, is described as athletic. He’s the quarterback that Franklin and Yurcich could turn to when they need to push a pile or in a situation that calls for a mobile quarterback. He’s the Nittany Lions’ alternate.



However Franklin plays the two quarterbacks, it will likely be some time before Penn State fans have an answer to the question that’s hung over the program for more than a year. Franklin noted that he wanted Clifford to compete for a starting role for the six years that the recent&nbsp;<a href="https://onwardstate.com/2023/04/29/sean-clifford-drafted-no-149-overall-by-green-bay-packers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NFL draftee</a>&nbsp;spent in Happy Valley. The same will apply to Allar.



If Franklin has 86 days to name a starter against the Mountaineers, he may just use all 86.

‘We Have Competition at Every Single Position’: Penn State Quarterback Question Still Unanswered

SHIPPENSBURG — State College Area track and field coach Artie Gilkes has a couple of nicknames for Jesse Myers just to keep him loose.



“I like to give him the business sometimes,” Gilkes said. “He just smiles and laughs or comes back with something funny. That lets us know he doesn’t take himself too seriously.”



Myers, though, is serious business on the track.



Just a sophomore, Myers put himself firmly on the inside track to one of the most-decorated careers in Little Lion track annals, finishing in the top four in three Class 3A events — taking the gold in the 200-meter dash — at the PIAA championships on Friday, May 26, and Saturday, May 27, at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.



“I went into the&nbsp;meet expecting&nbsp;to be in the top eight. However, I did not expect&nbsp;to place as high as I did,” Myers said. “My expectations for myself were to win at least one event, but it still came with a surprise&nbsp;when I had won.”



Keyed by Myers, the State College boys finished second in the Class 3A team standings to Chambersburg, 48-34. The Little Lions 4-by-800 relay team of Henry Adams, Owen Vaira, Sam Viglione and Nick Sloff won a bronze medal, and Sloff also was an individual medalist, placing sixth in the 1600 run.



In addition, another sophomore, Nathan Haas, finished seventh in the discus.



“Our coaching staff really breaks down where we can score points and what the kids need to do to get the job done,” Gilkes said. “Our goal of goals was to finish on the podium, and that requires everyone to buy into what our coaches are instructing. It also helps them have very achievable goals to pursue.”



The State College girls 3200 relay of Marlee Kwasnica, Chloe Poindexter, Amy Devan and Grace Morningstar finished fourth. Several other Centre County athletes competed but didn’t medal — the top eight in each event earn medals.



“Jesse had himself a weekend,” Gilkes said. “All the planning and all the scheming doesn’t matter much if your marquee athletes don’t step up and do marquee things.”



Myers did enough in Friday’s preliminaries to put himself in position for three medals on Saturday, but there wasn’t an inkling that he’d put together the performances he did.&nbsp;He was eighth in both the 100 meters (10.75 seconds) and 400 meters (48.32) and sixth in the 200 (21.49).



Then Myers turned it up a notch with the spotlight the brightest. With little recovery time after he captured the silver medal with a 47.81 400, the Little Lion 10th grader came right back to run a personal-best 21.23 in the 200-meter finals, winning by a tenth of a second over Upper Darby’s Lavar Jackson.



“The 400 takes a way bigger toll on your body than the 200,” Myers said. “I was super pumped when winning the 200, realizing&nbsp;all the hard work had paid&nbsp;off.”



Myers’ Saturday began with a fourth-place showing in the 100 finals. His time was 10.78.



The Little Lions relay was about eight seconds off the pace and in 23rd place when Vaira took the handoff and gained 17 places in the 4-by-800 ranks. Viglione moved State up three more positions, and Sloff brought it home in a time of 7 minutes, 48.47 seconds.



That was good enough to win the slower heat and get third place.



“The relay worked out almost perfectly, because we were able to duke it out with LaSalle even in the slow heat, which really gave us all a challenge that led to a significant drop in our times,” Sloff said.



“When Ovi (Viara) got the stick, there was no holding back. I think the announcer called him ‘a little ball of fire going around the corner,’” Gilkes said.



The Penn State-bound Sloff got State College off to a good start by placing sixth in the mile on Friday, crossing the line in a time of 4:11.40.



“I got a PR in the 1600 by a second, and I am happy with how I placed. The entire race was all very close in time, so it was difficult for everyone to be happy with how the results ended up,” Sloff said. “I was really happy to win the two medals, and it was especially nice to win another 4-by-800 medal because I got to experience it with my teammates.”



Haas overcame shoulder injuries and garnered his first-ever state medal by throwing the disc 158 feet, 11 inches.



“My main goal for the season was just to make it to states and then do the best I could in whatever events I qualified for,” Haas said. “The key to doing well was just remembering what my coaches had taught me and executing those throwing cues every time I got into the discus ring.&nbsp; Once the technique finally came together, I was able to throw my best throw of the season.”



Seeded seventh, the Lady Little Lions 4-by-800 was in the top five from start to finish and wound up with a time of 9:20.67.



“It’s always nice to improve on your ranking. They went out there and ran a season’s best at the state meet. It’s what they needed to do,” Gilkes said.



Sloff also ran the 800 meters, finishing 18th with a time of 1:57.33. Additionally for the Little Lions, shot putter Ben Spencer placed 15th with a best throw of 49-5.25, two-miler Isaac Opperman placed 25th with a time of 9:36.79 and State’s boys 4-by-100 and 4-by-800 relays both placed 27th, running 44.98 and 3:31.73, respectively, in their preliminary heats.



On the girls side, State College’s other two relays — the 400 and 1600 — were 11th and 26th. The 400 timed 48.81, the 1600 4:20.14.



Individually, Kwasnica was 25th with a time of 5:05.30 and Devan 31st with a 5:17.52 in the 1600 run, while Malia Abdullah was eliminated in the prelims in both the 100 and 200, where she recorded times of 12.37 and 25.69, respectively.



Morningstar was slated to compete in the 800 but scratched.



The Bellefonte girls also sent two girls to compete in Class 3A. Thrower Gabrielle Deitrich was 24th in the discus with a distance of 91-8. Victoria Schellenberg didn’t record a height in the pole vault.



Of the county athletes competing in Class 2A, Penns Valley’s Miles Brooks and Philipsburg-Osceola’s Chad Muckey came closest to reaching the podium, both finishing 11th. Brooks triple jumped 42-5. Muckey traversed the 3200 in 9:31.26.



Muckey also ran the 1600, timing 4:33.12 for 23rd place.



Bald Eagle Area had three field athletes in action. Abby Hoover was 16th in the girls javelin with a best throw of 112-5. Kieran Jodon placed 18th in the boys shot put at 45-3.25, while Kaiden Gates achieved 5-10 in the high jump for 19th place.



Penns Valley’s Micah Good was knocked out in the trials in the 400 and 200. He ran 13th in the 400 meters with a time of 50.88 and was 18th in the 200 meters with a 23.09. Meanwhile, teammate Greyson Kimler had the 20th-best time in the 300 hurdle prelims of 42.80.



For the Lady Rams, Abby Stitzer timed 1:00.49 in the 400-meter trials, the 17th-best time, and Lillyanna Smith was 19th in the 3200 finals at 12:14.33.



The Bellefonte boys had Zane Hummel take 17th with a 41-6.25 triple jump, the 3200 relay take 19th with an 8:32.15, Alex Crist take 24th in the 1600 meters with a 4:34.18 and Sherman Lowry come in 24th in the 110 hurdle trials with a 16.27.



St. Joseph’s Colin Simander was 22nd in the 2A boys 800 meters. His time was 2:02.01.

State High Teams Shine at PIAA Track and Field Championships

With the May 17 announcement that there will be a PIAA-sanctioned girls wrestling season in 2023-24, Bald Eagle Area, Philipsburg-Osceola and State College are beginning to plan what that season will look like.



All three schools had already started a program — <a href="https://stcodev.wpengine.com/centre-county-gazette/bea-approves-girls-wrestling-program/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BEA</a> in 2021 and <a href="https://stcodev.wpengine.com/centre-county-gazette/p-o-makes-girls-wrestling-program-official/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">P-O</a> and <a href="https://stcodev.wpengine.com/centre-county-gazette/state-high-is-latest-county-school-to-add-girls-wrestling/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">State College</a> this year — but they were waiting for the PIAA to officially sanction girls wrestling.



The PIAA had announced that it wouldn’t sanction girls wrestling until there were 100 schools with programs. There were 111 in the state as of May 22. The PIAA sanctioning was wonderful news for supporters of girls wrestling, which had gained interest and momentum thanks to the SanctionPA organization.



Pennsylvania is the 38th state in the United States to sanction girls wrestling.



“Obviously I‘m excited with what’s going to happen next season,” said BEA coach Ron Guenot, whose school was the 12th in the state to add a girls wrestling program. “I’m just proud to be a part of the whole movement. I’m just proud of the people that put in the hard work to make it come true.”



When P-O added girls wrestling in January, P-O coach Justin Fye said then he didn’t expect a PIAA-sanctioned season until 2024-25.



“It happened very quickly, but I also know there was a lot of push from around the entire state to possibly start this sooner,” P-O Fye said. “At the very end, I wasn’t as surprised that it might happen.”



There are a lot of things to still be ironed out, but one surprise coming out of the PIAA decision is that the girls state tournament will happen at the same time as the boys state tournament at Hershey’s Giant Center.&nbsp;



“That’s the plan,” Guenot said. “There are a lot of logistics that they’re going to have to work out. I don’t think anything is set in stone as far as time-wise. I’ve heard they’re going to go to eight mats instead of six. What an atmosphere that’s going to create.”



One of the questions surrounding the decision is will the girls have similar postseason tournaments as the boys? Will there be a District 6 tournament and a regional tournament before states?



“I believe what they’re looking to do is to possibly have a district tournament, definitely a regional and a state tournament this upcoming year,” Fye said.



The decision comes on the heels of Northwestern’s Sierra Chiesa becoming the first girl to qualify and win two bouts at the PIAA championships.



If schools like BEA, P-O and State College have boys and girls programs, it’s highly unlikely girls will wrestle for the boys team.



“Once the season starts, the girls have to make a choice,” Fye said. “If a girl chooses to compete for the girls team, they have made that commitment for the postseason.”



Also, if a school has a boys and girls team, and a girl wrestles for the boys team during the regular season, that will cost the boys team competition points. Both the boys and girls teams will have 22 competition points.



Last season, both BEA and P-O had three girls on their boys team, while State College had one. Only BEA sophomore Eden Eveleth took the mat in varsity competition, receiving a forfeit win.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The MyHouse Girls State Wrestling Championships has served as the state tournament for girls wrestling. BEA junior Angie Grieb placed fourth at 155 at the tournament last year. P-O junior Isabella DuVall placed sixth at 124 pounds.



Who will be coaching Grieb, DuVall and any other Centre County girl wrestlers? Guenot said he will oversee the boys and girls programs, but BEA has created an assistant coach position focusing on the girls program. The news was so new that Fye didn’t know if he would be coaching the girls.



“That’s something that myself, Cory Wood, who’s our junior high coach, Kelly Rees, our (athletic director), (superintendent) Dr. (Gregg) Paladina and our school board would have to sit down and take a look at that,” Fye said. “A lot of it depends on the numbers that we get.



“The thing that’s nice is that (the news) came out early enough that it will give us some time to sit down and think everything out.”



State College coach Ryan Cummins couldn’t be reached for comment.



The coaches expect the girls schedule will be mostly tournaments instead of dual meets the first season.



“I also believe we’re probably going to see schools starting to co-op a little bit more for the girls,” Fye said. “That could make it that there will be more dual meets at that point.



“As far as full teams, I think we have a ways to go for that,” Guenot said, “especially around this area.&nbsp;



The number of girls competing for high school teams in District 6 has been very small in recent years. That could change in the future.



“I think we’re going to see more participation,” Guenot said. “We had more girls in the elementary program last year than we’ve ever had. I think we’re going to have more girls join the program. I think statewide you’re going to see the interest grow. It’s already grown so much.”



Eventually schedules, coaching and what the postseason will look like will be decided. Until then, the coaches, wrestlers and girls wrestling supporters are just thrilled that a PIAA-sanctioned season is approaching this winter.



“I think it’s huge,” Guenot said, “especially since you’re talking about a state with the tradition Pennsylvania has. It’s the best wrestling state in the country. When you add girls wrestling to that, it’s only going to catch fire.”

Local School Districts Preparing for First Season of PIAA-Sanctioned Girls Wrestling

STATE COLLEGE — If you play serious tennis and you live in Centre County, you’ve crossed paths with Jane Borden. And if you’re serious about tennis and you live in State College, odds are you’ve played for Jane Borden.



That probably came well after you’d already met her, though.



“I have known Coach Jane for many years. Since I was at least 8 or 9 years old,” said Peter Novikov, one of the starters in doubles on Borden’s State College Area High School boys tennis squad this spring. “When I think of Jane, I, of course, think of her on the tennis court, hitting volleys which would beat any of us.”



Although she says it isn’t quite at the level it was when she was playing at Marquette University, Borden still has game, and she can teach and polish the game of others, too.



One of literally hundreds of State College School District student-athletes whom she has mentored, Novikov was on the court at Palmyra on April 5, teaming with William Liu for a doubles win that helped land Borden her 500th career coaching victory.



“She didn’t first tell us about it until after we won,” Novikov said. “Everyone was excited. I have played tennis with her for so long and to be part of the team that got her the 500th win made me excited.”



To reach that milestone, one has to have been coaching for a while, but also coaching at a high level for a while. That means a dedication and love for their craft. Borden’s been guiding the State College girls program since 1991. In 2011, she added directing the boys team to her list of responsibilities.



“I may be a bit slower around the courts now, but the passion is still the same,” Borden said. “I really enjoy what I do and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities I’ve had in coaching. I’ve tried to work on understanding how the game has changed and how our student-athletes have changed. Life is a lot different now then it was 30 years ago.



“Tennis players have an amazing work ethic and most are driven to succeed. The tennis kids in this community are the epitome of that. I’ve also been blessed to have amazing assistant coaches and support staff at the high school. My family has also been instrumental in helping me to be the best coach I can be.”



One of those assistants has been Jackie Gibbins, who Borden welcomed aboard when she expressed an interest in helping as a volunteer in 2007. Gibbins not only has coached with Borden but helped at Borden’s camps.



“While I knew how to play the sport, I had no clue as to what coaching 30-plus teenage girls would involve. Jane patiently taught me the ropes and gave me the confidence to step into the assistant coach position when I obtained my green card. She also encouraged me to get my USPTA certification, which later opened doors for me when I moved to California,” Gibbins said. “Being a high school coach in any sport isn&#8217;t an easy job. There&#8217;s the day to day responsibilities of planning practices, making sure the facilities and equipment are in order, your players are eligible to play each match, setting lineups, dealing with personalities, being positive and encouraging, the list goes on. Some of these responsibilities leave a coach in a no-win situation. Often there will be players and parents left angry and upset.



“You have to love what you do and it’s obvious that Jane loves the sport, her players and her job. Her vast experience and knowledge of all things tennis help her make the tough decisions, and her record of 500 wins proves that those decisions are sound.



“She’s done untold good over her long career and I’m sure those she has coached over the years are as grateful as I am for all she’s given.”



The State College tennis community celebrated Borden’s latest achievement when it hosted Lower Dauphin in a boys match on April 10.



Since Palmyra, Borden’s Little Lions have tacked on four more wins to raise her career record to 504-148. Three hundred forty-seven of those victories have been written on the girls side of the ledger.



State College senior Quiana Guo won her second District 6 Class 3A singles title in the fall after being a two-time District 6 Class 3A doubles champion while playing for Borden. Guo keyed the Lady Little Lions to three D6-3A team championships in her scholastic career.



“It&#8217;s great that she has had her 500th win,” Guo said. “It&#8217;s a great accomplishment.”



Ironically, this all kind of started by accident.



“As a teenager I started to teach tennis, and one day a junior team coach was out sick. I was asked to step in for a few weeks. I loved it,” Borden said. “Initially, I didn&#8217;t really have any long-term expectations or goals. I’ve always continued coaching because I really enjoy working with the kids and I love the game of tennis. Once I settled into the role as head coach, my goals were simple: be there for the kids, share my passion for the game, teach the fundamentals of the game, encourage my student-athletes to be the best they can be in the classroom, in the community and on the court and to take my position as a role model very seriously.”



Borden is a native of Glendale, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. At Nicolet High School, Borden played shortstop on the softball team and tried basketball for a year, but her heart always was on the court.



“I traveled to tournaments year-round,” Borden said. “My dad bought me my first racket at 5 years old. Both of my parents took me all over the Midwest for tournaments.”



All that work led Borden to become the top-ranked player in the state and a Wisconsin high school champion and helped her earn a scholarship to Marquette, where she got her teaching degree.



Borden cited her parents as her biggest influences, along with her high school coach, J. Cary Bachman, and her predecessor as State College coach, Mike Shapiro.



She counted among her biggest coaching thrills teams that swept the district singles, doubles and team championships or had finalists in both singles and doubles.



However, it’s not just about the wins and losses for Borden.



“The most satisfaction and pride comes from the teams that really come together as teams, when they care about each other and they work together for a common goal on and off of the court and respect one another,” Borden said. “That’s the best you could ask for. Some of my most successful and most memorable teams have not always had the best record.”



To the end of building teams, she makes her players practice in their uniforms.



“Sometimes it gets to be a bit much, but it builds a sense of family,” Novikov said. “I used to be an annoying, hard-to-control, raging kid who easily got mad and gave up. I don’t at all remember my old, bratty self in part due to Coach Jane.”



Current St. Francis University Coach Eric Hovan found himself matched against Borden many times while he held the reins at Altoona Area High School.



“She has had a profound impact on the State College tennis community,” Hovan said. “Jane has always such a passion for tennis and it is evident how she has passed this on to her teams.”



Of course, it goes beyond that.



“Honesty, integrity, passion, a good work ethic and good sportsmanship are the foundations of my philosophy,” Borden said. “My biggest strengths may be in trying to do what is right and in trying my best to get to know every one of my student-athletes.”



Her colleagues acknowledge a measure of Borden’s success is a testament to being able to build relationships.



Gibbins laughed thinking about the bus trips and practices with Borden.



“Jane would even have fun despite freezing temperatures during our annual Salvation Army bell-ringing sessions,” Gibbins said. “Not only is Jane committed to her sport, her team and her athletes but she manages to balance her family time — including two new grandchildren —working as a sub at State High, organizing the tennis team to volunteer at Special Olympics and working as a tennis instructor. She’s done untold good over her long career and I’m sure those she has coached over the years are as grateful as I am for all she’s given.”



Borden doesn’t have any plans to give it up — “I still take it one day at a time and I don’t take anything for granted,” she said — but she recognized that she has a lot about which to be appreciative, and tennis has given her much.



“I couldn’t do what I do without the support of a lot of people including my family, all the coaches and staff at State High, and all the student-athletes who play tennis,” Borden said. “I am honored to be the coach to so many wonderful people and fortunate to have a community like State College that works together for the kids and for the good of the game.”

State High Coach Jane Borden Combines Passion for Tennis, Family on Road to Success

The State College Little Lions and the St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy WolfPack will both be playing in the first round of the PIAA boys basketball tournament, set to begin Friday and Saturday.



The Little Lions, after beating Altoona in the District 6, 6A final and then trouncing Erie in the D6-8-10 regional final, will face Upper St. Clair, the No. 3 seed out of District 7, at home on March 11.



The WolfPack regrouped after their wild D6 semifinal loss to Harmony and rallied past Juniata Valley to qualify as the No. 3 seed in the D6, A Division. They will see District 5’s No. 1 Berlin Brothersvalley on March 10 in Johnstown.



Here’s a closer look at each game:



7-3 UPPER ST. CLAIR (16-9) AT 6-1 STATE COLLEGE (23-2) PIAA, 6A FIRST ROUND SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 4 P.M. STATE COLLEGE



It was no contest when the State College Little Lions lined up against the Erie Royals in the District 6-8-10 regional final on March 4 in Erie.



State College went on a 26-4 second-quarter tear that left Erie in the dust in a 73-41 Little Lion win.



The score was 45-15 by halftime, and SC went on to wrap up its 23rd win of the season, against just two losses, along with another D6-8-10 regional championship.



Isaac Dye drained seven 3-pointers and totaled 26 points in all for the Little Lions, while Braeden Shrewsberry scored 19 in a game that SC controlled almost from the opening tipoff.



Dye and Shrewsberry combined to go 16-for-22 from the field (Dye was 7-for-9 from beyond the arc), while the team as a whole shot 29-for-52 (56%) in the game.



The win gave SC the No. 1 seed from the region, and the Lions will now face 7-3 Upper St. Clair in the first round of the PIAA tournament.



The Panthers come into the tournament with an overall record of 16-9 and a third-place finish in the WPIAL 6A championships.



USC was ranked No. 2 in the district behind No. 1 New Castle and just squeezed by No. 7 Seneca Valley, 45-43, in the quarterfinals.



But in the semifinals, the Panthers ran into eventual champion Pittsburgh Central Catholic and fell 65-41. The loss sent Upper St. Clair into a consolation game against Mt. Lebanon to decide the district’s third and final PIAA qualifier.



That game, played at home in Upper St. Clair, was another thriller, but the Panthers survived, 55-54, to take the final state tournament spot.



USC’s Julian Dahlem made two free throws with 6.5 seconds left in the game, giving gave the Panthers the 1-point win.



Peja Strobl led USC with 14 points, and Devin Hall added 11 as the Panthers finally qualified for the state tournament.



Now the Little Lions and the Panthers, two teams hardened in the regular season in ultra-competitive conferences, will meet in the single-elimination state tournament.



The winner will move on to face either 7-1 Pittsburgh Central Catholic or 3-7 Wilson on March 15 in the second round.&nbsp;



6-3 ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC ACADEMY (18-8) VS 5-1 BERLIN BROTHERSVALLEY (22-2) PIAA, A FIRST ROUND FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 7:30 P.M. PITT-JOHNSTOWN UNIVERSITY, JOHNSTOWN



The St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy WolfPack suffered a crushing, controversial 75-74 loss to Harmony in the District 6, A semifinal at Harmony, but SJCA was not in a position to stew about what went wrong at the end of that game.



They still had basketball to play. Namely, an extremely important consolation game against Juniata Valley that would determine the third qualifier from District 6 in the PIAA single-A tournament.



“It was a very difficult loss in an important game,” SJCA Head Coach John Straub said, “but the players handled it with a lot of composure and we just said that we still had a lot to play for. We just came back the next day, had a good practice, and we moved on from it. We still could get into the state tournament.



“I am extremely proud of this team,” Straub continued. “How resilient they were and how they overcame all of that. It is what sports and life is all about — rebounding from adversity. Very proud of our kids.&#8221;



In the end, the WolfPack put it back together and staged a fourth-quarter rally that overcame the Hornets in a 74-64 win.



The game was a 1-pointer, 45-44, going into the final eight minutes, but led by Michael Lower’s 13 points in the quarter, SJCA outscored Juniata 29-20 to take the win and the PIAA invitation.



Lower scored 33 points in all that night, with Charley Yartz adding 14 and Nick Warner 10.



But it was Lower who carried the load in one of his best performances of the season.



Now the WolfPack will match up with District 5’s No. 1 seed, Berlin Brothersvalley.



The Mountaineers are 22-2 so far this season, and they took out Salisbury Elk Lick and Southern Fulton by a combined score of 151-47 to take the District 5 championship.



The team’s only two losses this season came against 22-3 New Castle on Feb. 13 and New Town High out of Owings Mills, Maryland, on Jan. 13. Other than those two games, Berlin Brothers ran the table. Berlin Brothersvalley is an up-tempo, high-scoring team led by three hot-shooting guards. Junior Pace Prosser leads the team with a 23.6 average, and he’s closely followed by junior Craig Jarvis with a 19.7 average and senior Ryan Blubaugh at 17.7.



All three of them shoot over 50% from the field, while Prosser also leads the team in rebounds, assists, steals and foul-try percentage.



The two teams will meet in Johnstown on March 10, and the winner will face either 4-1 Sullivan County (17-8) or 3-4 LaAcademia (12-11) on March 14 in the second round.

State College, St. Joe’s Set to Begin PIAA Boys Basketball Tournament

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