Mifflin County's Carter Smith ran a time of 1:51.71 in the 800.

UNIVERSITY PARK — Mifflin County High School standout Carter Smith has conquered Pennsylvania. Now, the Husky junior is tackling the nation.

Carter competed at the Kevin Dare Indoor Track and Field Invitational at Penn State on Saturday and turned in a spectacular time of 1:51.71 to win the 800-meter run. It was the highlight of the day for the Mifflin County indoor track and field team, but it had another significance, according to Husky head coach Tamara Sechler.

“This school record-breaking performance currently places him as the U.S. number one in the event,” Sechler explained.

Two other Husky athletes were able to land top-eight honors at the prestigious meet. Reese Cubbison placed seventh in the 800 with a time of 2:00.86, while Ethan Plank jumped a distance of 39-8.25 in the triple jump, also finishing seventh in the event.

Other Mifflin County athletes achieved season-best performances. That included: Madison Baumgardner, who threw a 21-1.5 in the shot put; Maddy Clinard, 28-11 in the triple jump; Olyvia Fennell, a 1:07:06 in the 400; Sophia Heider, a 26-3.5 in the triple jump; Taylor Kenepp, a 28.40 in the 200 and 15-3 in the long jump; and Falynn Reinard, a 9.27 in the 60.

Also, the Huskies’ Danielle Warfel turned in a 1:04.46 in the 400; Trevan Diven, a 7.85 in the 60; Michael McNitt, an 8.99 in the 60-meter hurdles; Brayden Stitt, a 10.30 in the 60m Hurdles; and Camryn Treaster, a 57.02 in the 400.

Mifflin County returns to action on Wednesday at State College High School Invite No. 2 held at Penn State.

Juniata distance runners at pair of meets

Juniata’s Wyatt Stroup, Joey Bomberger and Sylvia Brubaker competed at the Kevin Dare Indoor Track and Field Invitational on Saturday at Penn State. The Indians’ Sylvia Brubaker placed 16th out of 57 in the girls one-mile event with a time of 5:34.01, while Juniata’s Joey Bomberger ran a 4:39.76 to place ninth out of 67 runners in the boys mile. Finishing out the day for the Indians was Wyatt Stroup, who finished fifth out of 53 in the 3K event with a time of 9:03.43.

Juniata distance coach Jeff Miller said, “This was our first indoor track meet this season so it was a good test to see where our current fitness is at. Sylvia, Joey and Wyatt all ran indoor personal bests in their race. For Joey, it was his first indoor track meet ever, and he had a great experience. Wyatt ran tough as usual; Sylvia had a good race and learned some things to help her in future races.”

On Sunday, Josiah Barner and Joel Hardin competed at the River Hawk High School Invitational at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove. Barner ran a 5:25.16 in the boys mile to place 27th out of 37 runners in the event. Hardin followed in 5:51.29 to end up 33rd. Barner also competed in the 400, running a 58.74 to place 22nd out of 36 runners.

Miller added, “I thought Josiah and Joel ran very good for their first races of the season. This was Josiah’s first high school indoor track meet. They learned some things that will help them when they step on the track again next week.”

Juniata will compete again on Wednesday at Penn State and Sunday at Susquehanna University.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

MC falls to undefeated Panthers

LEWISTOWN – The Mifflin County Huskies hosted undefeated River Valley in a non-league contest on Saturday and the Panthers showed why they are undefeated. Ava Persichetti, a Division I Richmond commit, scored a game-high 22 points and Kenady Kitner added 20 points as River Valley ran past Mifflin County 64-44.

Payton Weaver had 13 points for the Huskies (5-8), who trailed 21-10 after the first quarter and 39-21 at the half. Jalee Bodtorf had nine points and Jayda Kanagy added seven points for Mifflin County, which rallied to within 47-35 in the third quarter.

The Panthers outscored Mifflin County 17-9 in the final frame to seal the win. To date, River Valley (14-0) came into the game beating its opponents by an average margin of 31 points. The Huskies, which also got a six-point effort from Maelyn Gingrich with a pair of three-pointers, certainly hung tough for much of the contest.

Mifflin County hosts Milton Hershey on Tuesday.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Central Mountain

corrals Mustangs

MIDDLEBURG – D’Zani Cooley scored a game-high 18 points, Gabe Romig had 13 points and Chase Shattuck added 10 points, but the Midd-West Mustangs fell to visiting Central Mountain in crossover Heartland Athletic Conference action on Saturday.

Cooley drilled a three-pointer in the first quarter – one of three he had in the contest – but Midd-West trailed 17-9 early. Romig, Nash Grover and Logan Hollenbach each scored three points in the second quarter as the Mustangs trailed 31-18 at intermission.

In the third quarter, Cooley notched eight points – with two treys – as Midd-West cut the deficit to single digits at 45-37. Romig added six points, via the long ball, and Shattuck added three points, with a trey.

Central Mountain outscored the Mustangs 22-18 in the final frame to seal the win. Cooley scored seven points – connecting on five of six free throws – and Shattuck added five more.

The Wildcats also put three players in double figures with Hunter Hoy (13), Noah Wells (12) and Max Verrelli (10).

WRESTLING

Mustangs go 6-0 to

win Mountaineer Duals

PHILIPSBURG – The Midd-West Mustangs traveled to Philipsburg-Osceola High School for the Mountaineer Duals on Saturday and came away as team champions at the seven-team event.

The Mustangs started off their impressive run by beating Bedford and Tyrone then handling Greater Johnstown, Punxsutawney, the host Mounties and Freedom. The match by match results were:

Midd-West 54, Bedford 18: The Mustangs started off strong, winning 10 of 13 bouts overall. At 107 pounds, Midd-West’s Mason Kerstetter pinned Zane Ednie in 1:23 and Mustang teammate Lane Yount decked Zeke Brambley in 57 seconds at 114. After Midd-West’s Michael Viafore was pinned by Tucker Boone in 1:05 at 121, Witten Carter got the Mustangs back on track as he won via forfeit at 127.

At 133, Midd-West’s Aiden Rose was pinned in 3:36 by Carter Kozielec in 3:36 and, at 139, R.J. Witt won by forfeit, Charley Paige scored a 25-9 tech fall in 5:27 over Bedford’s Grant Koontz at 145. At 152, Midd-West’s Matthew Smith picked up a 14-3 tech fall over Bryce Wertz in 2:23 and, at 160, Evan Maneval followed by a true fall in 2:51 over Carter Koontz.

At 172, Mustang Graham Yount was pinned by Johnny Ingraham in 2:19 then, at 189, Grant Yount followed with a 14-4 tech fall in 4:25 over James Fisher. At 215, Midd-West’s Jared Devine pinned Nate Gardner in 4:37 and, at 285, Barry Penepacker closed out the match with a 7-6 win over Theodore Rose.

Midd-West 63, Tyrone 11: The Mustangs racked up five falls against Tyrone as Lane Yount pinned Haliegh Hunter in 17 seconds. After forfeit wins by Viafore and Carter, Rose lost via 18-1 tech fall to Logan Rumberger in 3:13 at 133. Paige won via 17-1 tech fall over Rhys Rawlings in 2:09 and Smith won by injury default over Gracie Pluebell. Maneval earned a 16-0 tech fall over Mason VanAllman in 4:06 and Graham Yount pinned Dominic Pluebell in 1:56.

Midd-West won four of the final five bouts as Grant Yount won by a 19-1 tech fall over Kyler Suhoney in 2:00, but Nolan DeLong was pinned by Tyrone’s Kyle Scott in 1:19. Devine then pinned Kayden Ansman in 1:19, Penepacker decked John Eaken in 1:05 and Kerstetter flattened Malakai Wicker in 58 seconds.

Midd-West 77, Greater Johnstown 0: Midd-West picked up victories in the four contested bouts, with nine others going to the Mustangs by forfeit. Smith started things off at 145 with a forfeit as did Maneval. At 160, Mustang Graham Yount earned a 17-1 tech fall in 2:20 over Ethan Bopper and Grant Yount followed with a true fall over Devin Barrett in 32 seconds.

At 189, Devine pinned Hunter Bower in 28 seconds. At 121, Viafore pinned Won Hiller in 1:46 then the Mustangs won the remaining bouts by forfeit as Penepacker, Finn Dressler at 285, Kerstetter, Lane Yount, Carter, Rose and Paige all won.

Midd-West 55, Punxsutawney 14: The Mustangs posted a pair of falls in making short work of the Chucks. Carter dropped a 13-0 major to Joshua Dobson at 127 to start off the match then Rose answered with a fall in 3:06 over Gavin Jacobson. After Paige lost a 14-1 major, Smith won by forfeit and Maneval scored a fall over Zach Blews in 3:30. Graham Yount made it 24-8 with a fall in 1:48 over Leland Troutman at 160 and Grant Yount won by forfeit. At 189, Devine won a 16-8 major over Jayden Rutan and, at 215, Delong was pinned by Sage Burkett in 1:18. At 285, Penepacker won a 3-1 decision over Ward Yoder before Kerstetter and Lane Yount closed things out with wins via forfeit to set the final.

Midd-West 43, Philipsburg-Osceola 23: The Mustangs won 9 of 13 bouts including true falls by Smith, Maneval and Grant Yount. Smith decked P-O’s Mason Packer in 1:27, while Maneval did the same to Brett Hahn in 54 seconds and Young needed 1:43 to flatten Brody Jasper.

Midd-West trailed early as Rose was pinned by Ace Foster in 1:07 at 133. The Mustangs responded with seven-straight wins as Paige won via 19-4 tech fall over Connor Guenot in 4:49 at 139 and Aumiller topped Hunter Kephart 6-4 at 145. After wins by Smith and Maneval, Graham Yount beat Colton Chapman 11-9 at 172. After Grant Yount won, Devine beat Conner Eichenlaub 4-1. That gave Midd-West a 32-6 lead.

At 285, Penepacker was pinned by Evan Eichenlaub in 1:00, but Kerstetter won by forfeit at 107 and Lane Yount scored a 20-2 tech fall over Bradley Peters in 4:34 at 114. At 121, Viafore was pinned in 47 seconds by Caleb Hummel and Carter lost a 15-0 tech fall in 2:00 to P-O’s Averi Gable.

Midd-West 36, Freedom 24: Four falls helped the Mustangs finish off their undefeated run. Paige opened the match with a fall over Matt Haslett in 2:29 at 139 and Smith followed with another over Thomas Henry in 2:55. Maneval lost a 16-11 decision to Brayden Reynolds and Graham Yount fell 7-0 to Gavyn McCray. At 172, Graham Young won by forfeit to make it a 18-6 Midd-West lead. DeLong was pinned in 2:57 by Zashawn Williams, but Devine decked Charles Powell in 1:21.

At 285, Penepacker lost 7-2 to Lennon Miller, but Kerstetter topped Kayden Braun 7-3 and Lane Yount pinned Camden Bruce in 1:29. At 121, Viafore was pinned in 43 seconds by Zackery Shiring and, at 127, Carter was edged by Ethan Wynn 5-4. Rose set the final with a 3-2 win over Kaden Millward.

Midd-West hosts Mifflin County on Wednesday.

Trojans hit mats

at Mid-Winter Mayhem

INDIANA, Pa. – The Mount Union Trojans finished 34th overall in the 57-team field at the Mid-Winter Mayhem at the Kovalchick Convention Center Complex at IUP on Friday and Saturday.

Josh Ryan was the top finisher for the Trojans, finishing fourth after falling in the third-place bout to Brookville’s Kolton Griffin 12-8 at 215 pounds. Ryan started off the championship round by pinning Erie McDowell’s Matthew Eggleston in 2:42 and West Chester Rustin’s Alex Samane in 1:28 then scoring a 16-3 major decision over Central Mountain’s Kai Fravel and a 13-8 decision over North Allegheny’s Mason Hartung in the championship quarterfinals. Ryan was pinned by DuBois’ Kendahl Hoare in the semis in 1:30 but he rebounded to pick up a 13-2 major decision over North East’s Logan Latimore in the consolation semifinals.

At 107, Mount Union’s Rylin Newman was pinned in his championship round opener by Altoona’s Dom Nardozza in 18 seconds then was flattened by Abington Height’s Connor Beck in 27 seconds.

At 121, Trojan Kamden Beatty was eliminated in the fourth round of consolations after being pinned by West Allegheny’s Thomas Bencho in 2:15. Beatty opened the championship round by getting pinned by Hollidaysburg’s Landon Krupka in 3:21. Beatty stayed alive by winning a 16-0 tech fall in 1:45 over Somerset’s Rylan Riggs and an 18-0 tech fall over Fort LeBoeuf’s Gage Bell in 1:17.

At 127, Mount Union’s Miriam Shugarts lost both of his bouts, getting pinned by Hickory’s Brady Slicker in 45 seconds and by DuBois’ Peyton Geer in 54 seconds.

At 139, Trojan Jacik Hess won two bouts before bowing out in the consolation round. Hess pinned Line Mountain’s Waylon Shaffer in 1:38 then lost a 12-0 major to Hatboro-Horsham’s Ryan Allgeier. Hess stayed alive by pinning Trinity’s Tyler Whitney in 1:35 but was eliminated after being pinned by Penn Manor’s Ethan Corcoran in 2:31 in the third round of consy.

At 145, Mount Union’s Izik Copenhaver dropped both of his bouts, getting pinned by Hickory’s Mike Reardon in 49 seconds and by Thomas Jefferson’s Colby Engel in 4:31.

At 152, Trojan Rowan McClain-Hartman won three of his five championship round bouts. McClain-Hartman needed 1:36 to pin Pocono Mountain East’s Liam Frey then was pinned by Greenville’s Gavin Ryhal in 4:17. He stayed alive by pinning Radnor’s Chris Stasen in 2:16 and notching a 13-2 major over DuBois’ Seth Wilmoth. McClain-Hartman was bounced in the fourth consy round after getting pinned by Line Mountain’s Dalton Schadel in 4:30.

At 160, Mount Union’s Micah Atherton fell in the fifth round of consys to North Penn-Liberty’s Riley Oakes 9-7. Atherton advanced by winning by injury default over Benton’s Evan Brokenshire in 1:10 then falling to St. Mary’s Jaden Wehler in a 17-2 tech fall in 2:18. Atherton stayed alive by pinning Curwensville’s Reed Hawkins in 2:12.

At 172, Trojan Andrew Ryan dropped a pair of decisions via tech fall: 21-5 to Thomas Jefferson’s Bode Marlow in 1:52; and 17-0 to St. Mary’s Jace Meyer in 2:31.

At 189, Mount Union’s Aydin Grove won one of his three bouts: losing by fall to Bishop McCort’s Matteo Noronha in 2:57; beating Pocono Mountain East’s Daniel Oh by true fall in 3:15; and dropping a 21-5 tech fall to Cedar Cliff’s William White in 3:47.

Bishop McCort was the team champion with 299 points, with Thomas Jefferson (151.5), Central Mountain (119.5), North Allegheny (111) and Emmaus (107.5) rounding out the top five.

Mount Union travels to Curwensville on Tuesday.

JUNIOR HIGH BASKETBALL

LEWISTOWN – The Mifflin County ninth-grade girls basketball team defeated visiting State College 54-21 on Saturday afternoon to improve to 12-0 on the season. Jemma Kanagy led Mifflin County with a game-high 13 points, while Grayce Napikoski scored 12 points and Lily Curry added 10 points. The Huskies travel to Altoona on Friday.