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Hall of Fame board lists 2014 honorees [Standard-Speaker, Hazleton, Pa.](Standard-Speaker (Hazleton, PA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 21--The Hazleton Area Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors will salute five Hazleton Area High School student-athletes who achieved the ultimate honor during the past year: first-team all-state and, in one case, well-deserved national recognition. Indeed, Sal Biasi, Celine Podlesney, Abby Sachse, Maria Trivelpiece and Lexi Wolk made the whole area proud of their accomplishments both on and off the field. All five consistently achieved highest honors with college preparatory course loads. All five will be honored during the local Hall of Fame's annual induction banquet today at the Best Western Genetti Inn & Suites. Fourteen individuals and the 1974-75 Bishop Hafey High School boys basketball team will be inducted. Biasi excelled in basketball and baseball during his stellar four-year career as a Cougar, capping it with stellar performances in both sports as a senior and being named the recipient of the prestigious Scotty Roman Award as the area's most outstanding athlete. In basketball, the 5-foot-10 guard was a scoring machine that head coach Mike Joseph relied on to have the ball at crunch time. He never disappointed. Biasi was named to the Associated Press Class AAAA All-State First Team, the first Hazleton Area player to earn that distinction since Terry Kringe in 1996. Biasi also was chosen as the Wyoming Valley Conference Division I Most Valuable Player for the second straight year, a season in which he became the Cougars' all-time leading scorer (1,783 career points) and their most prolific single-season scorer (711 points), averaging a whopping 26.7 points per game. He also broke the team's single-season for three-pointers with 93 as the Cougars finished 22-5 and captured their District 2-4 Class 4A championship since 2007. Biasi scored 30 or more points 10 times during the 2013-14 season, with a high of 41 against GAR in his team's opener. He failed to reach double figures only once during the season, that when he scored nine in a little more than a quarter of play in a WVC blowout of Berwick. He poured in 34 points in a 79-71 loss to perennial state power-Chester in the second round of the PIAA Class AAAA tournament in what would be his final high school basketball game. He faced strong defensive pressure throughout the contest and he also played with a severely sprained ankle that he injured in the Cougars' playoff win over Stroudsburg just four days earlier. In addition to rewriting the Cougars' basketball record book, Biasi shined on the baseball diamond. Alternating between pitching and playing the infield, he helped to lead Hazleton Area to its first WVC crown since 2010, its first subregional title since 2005 and its first-ever PIAA playoff victory (over Hempfield). His fastball of 90-plus miles per hour and baffling breaking balls made him effective as both a starting and relief pitcher for coach Gino Cara's Cougars. He also displayed his strong arm in the field and he batted above .300 as one of the team's most reliable hitters. Biasi accepted a baseball scholarship to Penn State University, where he recently began his freshman year. While Biasi and Hazleton Area's baseball team were regarded among the state's best throughout the spring, the Lady Cougars softball team continued to dominate its opponents. The girls finished 22-3 and captured their second straight WVC Division I and District 2-4 Class 4A championships. They eventually lost to District 3 heavyweight-Lower Dauphin in the opening round of the PIAA tournament. When all was said and done, five Lady Cougars were chosen for the 2014 Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches All-State Team by a panel of 130 coaches and media members from across the state, including three who made the first team. Trivelpiece, a junior second baseman, earned first-team honors for the second consecutive year. The sweet-swinging left-handed hitter batted .486 (34 for 70) with five doubles, four triples, 24 RBI and a .671 slugging percentage. She also was successful on all 17 of her stolen base attempts and was a near flawless fielder. The speedy Wolk also earned first-team honors after batting .467 (35 for 75) with five doubles, two triples, three home runs and a team-high 31 RBI. Her .707 slugging percentage also was best on the team. Additionally, the junior center fielder scored 25 runs and again was one of the state's premier defensive outfielders. Podlesney, the co-WVC MVP was a first-time first-team all-state selection as a designated hitter-designated player after hitting .411 (31 for 73) with 25 RBI. The sophomore also was sensational in the pitching circle with a 13-1 record and a sparkling 0.97 earned-run average. She struck out 52 batters and walked only nine. Sachse, a junior outfielder, was named to the 2014 National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association All-Regional First Team, the first Hazleton Area player ever to earn that high honor. Wolk and Podlesney were picked for the second team this past season. Sachse batted an eye-popping .534 (39 for 73) with nine doubles and finished with a slugging percentage of .658 on her way to sharing the WVC MVP award with Podlesney, being named all-state second team and making the All-Regional squad. Defensively, the strong-armed Sachse committed just one error, the same number that she made as a sophomore in 2013. "To achieve what they have, with the tremendous work load they have, is a testament to them,'' Hazleton Area coach Ted Treon said at the end of the season. They're all so strong-willed. They all want to excel.'' A cocktail hour will start today's festivities at 3 p.m., followed by dinner at 4 and the program at about 5:15 p.m. ___ (c)2014 Standard-Speaker (Hazleton, Pa.) Visit the Standard-Speaker (Hazleton, Pa.) at standardspeaker.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |