DAVIDSVILLE — A field goal kick to win a district championship is always a memory of a lifetime for the kicking team.

But Scott Thomas’ game-winning, 19-yard field goal with five seconds left in Friday’s District 5 Class A title game against Windber had even more significance for Township’s players and coaches.

“That's a credit to Scott Thomas and his hard work throughout his career, and to our kicking coach Ron Telenko, who is here with a heavy heart,” Township coach Sam Zambanini said after his 10-1 Indians won the district crown. “Ron drove back from Philadelphia.

“His mother-in-law is being buried in the morning (on Saturday). He's driving back to Philadelphia (for the funeral) right after the game. We send our best to his family.”

Telenko has been part of Zambanini’s staff since the Indians head coach’s first season in 1999. He also had served as a volunteer assistant coach before that.

“Ron’s been coaching with me since I took over for Jerry (Davitch) and he was here before that on a volunteer basis when Jerry Davitch was here,” Zambanini said Saturday afternoon. “He coached the kickers.

“His son, Josh, came through the team and he ended up kicking at IUP. Ron’s been doing it for quite a while.”

Thomas’ field-goal attempt was at the right hash mark. The senior had missed an extra point on the Indians’ first touchdown of the game. He rebounded impressively after Windber called two timeouts

in an attempt to ice him with 8.8 on the clock. Senior snapper Mike Lysic hit holder George Bivens – the senior quarterback – and Thomas kicked the ball just over the crossbar and inside the left upright.

“I was talking in our coaches room after the game. I said it would have been easier on my nerves to be a 34-0 win, but with the situation Ron is in, this was an appropriate ending,” Zambanini said.

“Ron was at practice on Tuesday. He was emotional and he told the guys he hated to miss the game but he had to be away for this. He asked them to think of him. When we pulled into the parking lot at Berlin, there he was.”

Telenko left immediately after the game.

On another sad note, Zambanini said he learned later in the night that senior guard Luke Mitchell also had to leave for Syracuse, N.Y., because of a death in his family.

Township has a bye this week and will face the District 7 champ – either Clairton or Rochester – on Dec. 4 or Dec. 5.



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Trojan Triumph: Johns-town High won the fourth district title in school history and silenced a few critics by edging Hollidaysburg 21-14 in a tight 6-AAA championship contest at Mansion Park on Friday.

“Our kids just played well,” said Trojans coach Kevin Marabito, whose 8-3 team will play District 4 champ Selinsgrove this week at a District 6 site.

“Sometimes our rap is if the game’s close we can’t pull it

out. (Friday) everything wasn’t going our way. Our kids stuck with it and believed in it and it came out on a positive end for us.”

The Trojans have won 6-AAA championships this year and in 2004 (a 35-7 win over Bellefonte). As a member of the WPIAL, Johnstown won league titles in 1958 (3-0 over Clairton) and 1941 (7-0 over Mount Lebanon) while playing to a scoreless tie with Washington in the 1917 WPIAL championship game.

Johnstown’s next test will come against 12-0 Selinsgrove.

The Seals won their sixth consecutive District 4 championship by beating Shikellamy 44-7 on Friday. Selinsgrove piled up 502 total yards and scored 44 unanswered points after falling behind 7-0.

“It’s going to be a tough task ahead of us. They’re 12-0 for a reason,” Marabito said.

The Seals have outscored opponents by a combined

576-76 count.

“I saw them once in person, and I just finished my fourth game watching them on tape, and I haven’t been able to witness a close game yet,” Marabito said. “It’s going to be a tall hill to climb, but if our kids work hard you, never know what’s going to happen.”

The Trojans lost 20-7 at Selinsgrove after winning the 2004 6-AAA title under former coach Bob Arcurio.



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Defensive mode: It’s been said numerous times this season in this space, but it’s worth repeating:

Forest Hills’ defense is just plain good. Make that excellent, actually.

Coach Don Bailey’s Rangers are 12-0 and have a spot in the 6-AA title game next week against the Central-Tyrone winner.

Forest Hills hasn’t allowed any of those 12 opponents to reach double digits in scoring.

In two wins over the high-powered Richland offense, the Rangers gave up nine points in the first meeting and a touchdown on Friday night as Forest Hills ripped the Rams 32-7 in the 6-AA semifinal at G.H. Miller Field.

Forest Hills has scored

366 points, quite a total in itself. But the Rangers only have allowed 69.



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Six-cess: Bishop McCort’s program is quite familiar with district championship play.

The Crushers’ 45-21 win over Penns Manor on Friday at Point Stadium puts McCort in its sixth consecutive district championship game. The Crushers have won three straight District 6 crowns, last year in 6-A and the two previous seasons in 6-AA. McCort also was a district runner-up in 2005 and 2004.

The Crushers will meet the winner of the semifinal between Portage and Bellwood-Antis this week.



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Three again: Conemaugh Township assistant coach Bob Bambino might have had a sense of football deja vu on Friday night when Thomas booted the game-winning field goal.

Bambino was the star running back on the Johnstown squad that won the 1958 WPIAL championship 3-0 over Clairton in front of 11,911 fans at Pitt Stadium.

That game was won on all-stater George Azar’s field goal kicked from the Clairton

11-yard line. Azar’s boot didn’t come in the waning moments.

In fact, there was plenty of time to play. But the fourth-quarter kick was the game-winner nonetheless.

One of the memorable photographs occasionally reprinted from that game shows Bambino, who rushed for 999 yards that season, watching Azar and holder Tom Runyon, the Johns-town quarterback, reacting to the good kick.

As the championship medals were being passed out near midfield on Friday, Bambino was asked if Thomas’ kick reminded him of Azar’s boot.

“Oh, yes,” Bambino said, smiling, 51 years later.



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Strong finish: Not many people would have envisioned Bedford playing at least two rounds into the PIAA tournament back when the Bisons were 1-5 in the LHAC.

But coach Dan Smith’s team finished with a blast, winning five of its final six contests. The lone setback was to an undefeated Bishop McCort team at Point Stadium in Week 9.

The 5-AA champs dismantled District 8 Westinghouse 29-6 on Friday at Cupples Stadium, the home field of the Pittsburgh City League representative.

Paul Detwiler ran for 101 yards on 17 carries and scored three touchdowns, including a pivotal 75-yard kickoff return moments after Westinghouse had pulled within two points.

Bedford is 6-6.



Mike Mastovich is a sports writer for The Tribune-Democrat.