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Brooks, Harnish named YAIAA athletes of the year


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Spring Grove senior basketball player Eli Brooks and West York senior swimmer Courtney Harnish were named the male and female athletes of the year at the GameTimePA Athletes of the Year Awards Banquet on Sunday.

Brooks, who is committed to the University of Michigan, repeated as GameTimePA's Boys' Basketball Player of the Year after another remarkable season.  He averaged just under 30 points per game and 12 rebounds per contest, and shot 84 percent from the free-throw line. Brooks also scored 901 points in his final season to become Spring Grove's all-time leading scorer and finish his career with 2,428 points, second all-time in York County boys' basketball history. He's considered one of the greatest basketball players to come through York County. 

Harnish, who is committed to the University of Georgia, will go down as one of the most prolific swimmers in YAIAA history. Despite competing for the Bulldogs for only two of her four years, she set numerous YAIAA records, three District 3 Class 2A records and two PIAA marks. In March, she took home gold medals in the 200-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke at both the district and state meets, and she was named the 2A girls' Swimmer of the Meet at states for the second time. Individually and on relays, Harnish also helped West York finish the PIAA championship tied for second in the team points standings.

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In addition to naming players of the year in each sport, GameTimePA also recognized a female and male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Those awards went to Kennard-Dale's Megan Gereny and York Suburban's Jack Schultz. 

Gereny, who will be attending Bloomsburg University, played volleyball and softball for the Rams. She finished high school with a 4.16 GPA and was a member of the athlete-leadership committee at Kennard-Dale. She was considered a big help to new girls' volleyball coach Jen Ridolfi in the fall and organized off-season strength and conditioning workouts for the softball team.

Schultz, who will be attending North Carolina State, played basketball and volleyball for the Trojans. He was President of York Suburban's chapter of the National Spanish Honor Society, a Mini-THON captain and a member of the National Honor Society. He was also a Spanish to English translator for York County Food Bank Pantry at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Schultz was a GameTimePA first-team boys' volleyball all-star and was the girls' volleyball manager. 

GameTimePA also announced the YAIAA Moment of the Year, which was voted on by readers in an online poll. The winner was the Susquehannock girls' basketball team's District 3 title. The Warriors won the Class 5A tournament by upsetting Harrisburg, 44-42, in the title game when sophomore Jaden Walker hit two free throws with 1.9 seconds to play. The Warriors went on to advance to the semifinals in the PIAA tournament. 

 

Here's a breakdown of the GameTimePA Player of the Year in each sport. 

Football (offense) 

Sam Emig, Red Lion, senior: He ran the Lions offense with impressive efficiency, throwing for more than 900 yards and rushing for more than 900 yards. Emig was a key player in helping the Lions tie the franchise record for wins (10) in an undefeated regular season. He threw just one interception in the regular season, completing 78 percent (97-of-125) of his passes. Emig also rushed for 18 scores.

Football (defense) 

Nick Argento, Red Lion, senior: The 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive tackle was the only player to earn honors on GameTimePA's first-team offense and first-team defense. He finished with 85 tackles and three sacks as Red Lion never allowed more than 18 points all season.

Girls' Basketball 

Emma Saxton, Central York, senior: The top playmaker and top offensive player on the league's top offensive team, Saxton averaged a team-best 14.5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals per game. The Bloomsburg University commit became just the fourth girl at Central to score 1,000 career points and first since 1999 — finishing with 1,114 career points. Saxton helped Panthers win program's first league title since 1999, and they advanced to the second round of state tournament.

Wrestling 

Austin Clabaugh, Bermudian Springs, senior: The leader of Bermudian's loaded lineup, Clabaugh finished off a stellar career by earning sectional, district and regional titles while becoming the YAIAA's only state finalist this season. He earned a PIAA silver medal and went 41-5, giving him 149 career wins.

Boys' Track and Field 

Luke Hoffman, West York, senior: Hoffman won his second straight YAIAA discus title before dominating the event at the District 3 Class 3A championships. The Bulldogs senior won the event with a throw of 186 feet, 11 inches and beat the next closest competitor by more than eight feet. He finished his career by taking third at the state championships with a throw if 185-8. 

Girls' Track and Field 

Madisen Kling, Red Lion, junior:  After beating a number of strong throwers to win her second straight YAIAA discus title, Kling took first place in the event at the District 3 Class 3A championships with a throw of 141 feet, one inch. She followed that up by winning her first state title with a throw 141-3, becoming the only York-Adams track athlete to win a gold medal at the PIAA championships this season. She also finished fourth in the javelin at the YAIAA championships. 

Boys' Swimming 

Jake Stoner, Dallastown, senior: Stoner claimed district gold in the 100-yard butterfly, winning the race by nearly a second. The next day, he placed fourth in the 100 freestyle. The YAIAA champion in both events, Stoner went on to earn a fourth-place medal at the uber-competitive PIAA Class 3A meet. He was also a key cog on the Wildcats’ relays. After helping the Wildcats win four straight YAIAA Division I titles, Stoner will turn his attention to his academics at the next level.

Boys' Golf

Joe Parrini, Central York, junior: After winning the YAIAA championship, Parrini made it two-for-two with a two-stroke victory at the District 3 Class 3A tournament at Briarwood East. It marked his second district title after he won the 2A crown as a freshman at York Catholic. Parrini placed 11th at states after a sixth-place finish at the East Region championships. He helped Central York claim league and district team titles and a third-place finish at states.

Girls' Golf

Julianne Lee, Central York, junior: Lee extended her reign as the top female golfer in the district by successfully defending her YAIAA and District 3 Class 3A titles. She finished the season with a fifth-place effort at the East Region championships and a third-place finish during the PIAA Class 3A tourney at Heritage Hills. She was part of a powerhouse Panthers lineup that repeated as YAIAA champs, won a district title and placed third in the state championships.

Softball

Courtney Coppersmith, Central York, junior: After providing top-notch relief pitching last season as a sophomore, Coppersmith established herself as the league’s dominant starter in the 2017. The University of Maryland-Baltimore County commit went 12-0 with 128 strikeouts and a 0.71 ERA in the regular season as Central York cruised to its third straight league title. The junior also batted cleanup for the Panthers and hit .477 with a  team-high 28 RBIs.  

Baseball

Ben Stewart, Kennard-Dale, senior: Stewart returned to the Rams for his senior season after playing at Calvert Hall in Maryland last year and he made an immediate impact. He was lights out on the mound with a 0.94 era, and he was dangerous at the plate with a .392 batting average.Stewart helped the Rams finish atop their division and qualify for the district and state playoffs. 

Field Hockey 

Kaelyn Long, New Oxford, senior: Considered the most dangerous player in the league by opposing coaches, Long finished her standout career by scoring more than 30 goals despite being consistently double-teamed. The Bucknell commit led New Oxford to a 15-4 season and the school's first district win since 2007.

Boys' Volleyball 

Carter Luckenbaugh, Central York, senior: Luckenbaugh was the senior leader and setter who helped the Panthers sweep the YAIAA regular season, league tournament and District 3 tournament titles. An all-around force on the court who could dig, pass, hit and block, Luckenbaugh kept all of Central's weapons involved, and he helped the team spend a good portion of the year ranked as the No. 1 team in the state. 

Girls' Volleyball 

Lindsey Blevins, Red Lion, senior: The top attacking player in the league, Blevins recorded 413 kills, 317 digs, 58 aces and 25 blocks during an all-state season. She helped Red Lion secure its first District 3 title, rallying the club from an 0-2 deficit. She also helped lift Red Lion to a state tournament appearance. The Lions lost to eventual Class 4A state champion Garnet Valley in the first round of the state tournament.

Boys' Tennis

Holden Koons, Dallastown, sophomore: Koons once again dominated the local tennis scene, winning his second straight YAIAA and District 3 singles championships in dominant fashion, losing just five games total during the district tournament. The sophomore also won the league doubles title and helped the Wildcats win their division.

Girls' Tennis

Dagney Markle, New Oxford, senior: A year after finishing runner-up in the league, Markle captured the YAIAA Class 3A singles championship. She also teamed with Kamdyn Balko to win the league's doubles crown. Markle won her opening-round match in the district singles tournament but lost to eventual district runner-up Taylor Lopan of Manheim Township in the quarterfinals.She also helped lead the Colonials to the quarterfinals of the District 3 Class 3A team tournament.

Boys' Lacrosse

T.J. Ross, Central York, senior: Ross scored an impressive 66 goals this season, but his impact went well beyond just putting the ball in the net. He also created opportunities for his teammates, resulting in 35 assists. He helped the Panthers complete an undefeated league season and win the YAIAA tournament championship.

Girls' Lacrosse

Emmie Dressel, Kennard-Dale, senior: Dressel was arguably the league's most dangerous player, leading Kennard-Dale to another YAIAA tournament title and back to the District 3 title game. The LaSalle commit drew special attention from opposing defenses, since she was capable of running to the goal or dishing off to an open teammate. She helped the Rams earn victories in the state tournament in back-to-back years.

Boys' Cross Country

Patrick Jacobson, Dallastown, senior: The YAIAA champion was the league's top finisher during the District 3 Class 3A run at Big Spring High School with a 33rd-place effort. Jacobson completed his scholastic career with an 89th-place finish in the state meet at the Parkview Cross Country Course in Hershey. He was the top runner for the Wildcats' YAIAA Division I-winning team.

Girls' Cross Country 

Maddie McLain, Eastern York, junior: The junior broke through to win the YAIAA championships at Gettysburg after a second-place finish a year ago. She finished fourth in the District 3 Class 2A run at Big Spring, marking her third-consecutive top-9 finish at the event. McLain capped her season with a sixth-place finish at states, a year after finishing 16th. 

Boys' Soccer

Matt Yingling, Gettysburg, senior: He netted 26 goals and dished out four assists for a Warriors team that won another YAIAA tournament. Despite losing key veteran players from the year before, Gettysburg still finished with a 22-4-2 overall record and won a share of YAIAA Division II with an 11-1 league record. The Warriors advanced to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals for the second straight year, and Yingling was a main reason why both times.

Girls' Soccer

Hannah Logue, Fairfield, senior: A high-octane player to say the least, Logue led Fairfield to a state championship as one of the state’s most prolific goal scorers. She finished the season with 50 markers and put up a whopping 49 assists. Logue capped her high school career with 171 goals in a Green Knights' uniform.

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Watch: Chris Doleman speaks about perseverance to student-athletes
William Penn graduate and NFL Hall of Famer Chris Doleman delivered a speech of perseverance to the athletes at GameTimePA's Athletes of the Year Awards Banquet, Sunday, June, 4.
Ty Lohr, GameTimePA