Scranton Knights

One of Scranton’s own is headed to the Big 12. Four-star Class of 2027 standout Zya Small, who began her high school career at Scranton High before continuing at Friends’ Central, has committed to West Virginia. The nationally ranked forward becomes a major addition to the Mountaineers’ future and another big-time college basketball story with roots right here in NEPA.

Valley View routed Scranton 56-22 Friday, scoring 28 first-quarter points and rushing for 345 yards. Ethan Heid added a 74-yard TD; Braden Loff went 8-for-8.

Two even-par rounds led the way in Lackawanna League golf Tuesday. Hunter Stead paced Delaware Valley past Scranton, Reed Howell eagled his way to medalist honors for Honesdale, and Hazleton Area girls edged Honesdale by a single stroke.

Green ribbons carried a message bigger than the scorecard Friday afternoon at Pine Hills. Scranton Prep and Scranton’s boys and girls golf teams joined the John Malvizzi Foundation and SportzWire for a Game Day for Mental Health, using competition as a platform to promote awareness, support and more open conversations surrounding mental health.

We saw plenty of action in Week Two of Lackawanna League cluster meets, with several exciting individual races and some early-season statements made on the team side.

Valley View defeated Scranton 151-162 in Lackawanna League girls golf at Elkview as match medalist Ella Mackrell led the Cougars with a low score of 48.

Valley View defeated Scranton 172-200 in Lackawanna League boys golf at Elkview Country Club, led by match medalist Rocco Farina shooting a round of 37.

Honesdale defeated Scranton 150-161 in boys golf at Pine Hills, led by 37s from Trevan Dahlgren, Maddox Johnson, and Ben Schneider.

Honesdale defeated Scranton 127-160 in a Lackawanna League girls golf match, led by medalist Marley Reynolds with a 4-over-par 39.

Valley View boys golf picked up its first win of the season behind a medalist round from Braden Loff at Elkview, while Riverside swept a Lackawanna League girls tri match at Pine Hills led by co-medalists Frankie Wincovitch and Brianna Mills.

Instant classics between city and county for the 92nd dream game

Back Mountain Little League kept its season alive Friday evening, using timely hitting and a strong pitching performance to edge Green Ridge Little League, 4-3, in the Section 5 9-10-11 Championship at Mountain Top Little League. The victory forces a decisive winner-take-all championship game Saturday afternoon with a trip to the Pennsylvania State Tournament on the line.

Runs came in waves Wednesday night as District 32 champion Green Ridge Little League and District 16 champion Mountain Top combined for 29 runs in an entertaining Section 5 9-11 All-Star Tournament matchup. After Mountain Top stormed back with an eight-run fourth inning to seize the lead, Green Ridge answered with eight runs of its own in the bottom half before adding seven more in the fifth to earn a 20-9 victory.

When the skies opened up, so did the Carbino bats. Carbino Club Archbald poured on the offense, scoring 11 unanswered runs to capture the District 32 Majors Championship over Green Ridge Little League and punch its ticket to the Section 5 Tournament.

Dominant pitching, timely hitting and clean defense proved to be the difference Monday night at Aston Field. North Pocono’s Majors All-Stars combined for a three-hit shutout while capitalizing on scoring opportunities to earn a 5-0 victory over North East Connell in District 17 Majors pool play.