Pennsylvania's Mifflin County to merge Indian Valley, Lewistown high schools

It's amazing that decisions 80 miles away could affect many different schools.

Thus is the case in Mifflin County, where the school board recently voted 7-1 to merge the current Lewistown and Indian Valley (Lewistown) high schools into one high school starting next academic year.

Of course, the emotions flow through both teams as they go through the final seasons at their schools.

"All season long, our heads have been on the court and in the board room at the same time," Indian Valley girls' basketball coach Roger Herto said. "As a teacher and a coach of 25 years in the district, it's trying times. Central Mountain has gone through it when they combined their schools (Lock Haven, Sugar Valley and Bald Eagle-Nittany), and Indian Valley went through it 22 years ago. Here we go again, I guess. You just hope and pray that people are making the right decisions and things work. The thing about kids: They are very resilient. They will make it work.

"Back in Mifflin County, there is nothing better than Indian Valley and Lewistown. Instead, we'll become one and everyone will make the best of it. In ways, it's good to have it over. Whether you like the decision or don't like it, it's good that it is over and you have some direction to take."

Now, the unknowns.

There is still no official name for the new Mifflin County High School, and no school colors or mascot is picked out.

Then, there is the athletic future.

If the two schools were merged, which was approved by the school board, it was proposed that the new Mifflin County High School would possibly join the Mid-Penn Conference, along with district Quad-A foe State College.
That means the two squads would also be out of the Mountain League, their current home. The league is comprised of schools in a five-county area.

Juniata (Mifflintown), which joined the league this year, will also look toward its options as well. Juniata joined the league to play Indian Valley and Lewistown in every sport.

The school that's on the outside looking in could be Quad-A Central Mountain (Mill Hall).

With no possible move to another conference, some of the Double-A schools in the league have expressed concern about playing them. While the league will continue forward status-quo for one season because schedules were already drawn up, Central Mountain's future in the league also appears diminished.

"Honestly, the team I feel bad for is Central Mountain," Herto said. "They are going to find themselves, through no fault of their own, in a very tough situation here. You see it so many times in college athletics with these superconferences and teams being left out. In a perfect world, it wouldn't happen, but our world today, economically, is far from perfect. I have good relationships with Mike Gentzel, Mike Rendos, coach (Steve) Turchetta, and I feel bad for them. I hope everyone sits down, thinks hard about it, and everything works out for them."

HIGH POINT (N.J.) WRESTLING PINS EASTON
In a battle of top teams in bordering states, High Point (Sussex, N.J.) topped Easton (Pa.) 41-29 on the wrestling mats. Both are considered the best among the public schools in their respective states. High Point rode the wave of five pins from William Hagany, Nick Francavilla, Joe Gaccione, Ethan Orr and John Mallon, while 140-pounder Drew Wagenhoffer picked up a technical fall.

HOLY CROSS WINS FIRST-HALF TITLE
Holy Cross (Dunmore) withstood a ferocious comeback from Riverside and a late-second shot by the Vikings just rimmed out as the Crusaders held on for a 51-50 victory Saturday, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune. The victory gave Holy Cross the first-half crown of the Lackawanna League Division III. The paper reported Holy Cross led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter and took a 13-point lead into the final stanza. "It's a first-half championship," HC head coach Al Callejas told the paper. "There's not a trophy here, but it gives us a shot at something that nobody thought we had a shot at in the beginning of the year."

BALD EAGLE AREA GIRLS MAINTAIN PERFECTION
A historic season in Wingate, Centre County, continued forward Saturday night as Brittany Butterworth's go-ahead 3-pointer with less than two minutes left propelled Bald Eagle Area (Wingate) past Central Martinsburg, 41-38, according to the Centre Daily Times. Butterworth had 17 points, and found balanced scoring from the remaining Lady Eagles, who are 14-0, 9-0 in the Mountain League. "I couldn't breathe, I couldn't feel anything," she told the newspaper. "I was just praying to God it went in, and when it banked in I was like, 'God was looking at us.' It was crazy."

WELLSBORO BOYS TAKE FIRST LOSS
For the first time this season, the Wellsboro boys basketball team tasted defeat, as Mansfield pulled out a 50-41 victory Saturday night, according to the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. The paper reported that Wellsboro handed Mansfield a 64-61 overtime loss two weeks ago, and the two are in a first-place tie in the Northern Tier's West Division. "We just wanted to let them know that we're still here and this isn't your league," Mansfield guard Marquis Delgado told the newspaper. "We're going to fight for it no matter what." Mansfield led by as many as 18 at one point, and was paced by Luke Berguson's 15 points. Jordan Derstine and Alec Simpson also netted double digits.

Tom Fox is sports editor at The Lock Haven (Pa.) Express and covers Central and Northeastern Pa. for MaxPreps. He can be reached at tfox@lockhaven.com.