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The 2025-26 academic and athletic year within Schuylkill County wrapped up earlier this month in historic fashion as Pine Grove softball won its second-straight state championship.
The past school year created plenty of memories that will a lifetime, not just for those who played in the games, but also for those who had the opportunity to watch them from the bleachers — family, friends and media alike.
With another school year in the books, the Republican Herald sports staff has compiled a list of our 10 favorite games and moments from this previous school year.
Tri-Valley Volleyball plays in its first-ever PIAA State Championship Game
Though the Bulldogs ultimately fell to Maplewood in the state title game, their 2025 season was nothing short of historic.
Tri-Valley defeated Nativity BVM and Marian Catholic to win its second straight District 11 Championship. In the state playoffs, the Bulldogd defeated Ephrata Mennonite and Faith Christian, then knocked out 1A undefeated powerhouse Linville Hill in the semifinals.
“It was an amazing experience, just getting to continue winning all the way, to get here,” Tri-Valley coach Courtney Scheib said. “It was an awesome ride, and even though we fell short in the final match, we still accomplished history with back-to-back district championships, and we made it as far as we ever have in volleyball for states.
Minersville football beats Pen-Argyl in District 11 playoffs
In a game that may one day be simply referred to as “The Dante Carr game,” Minersville defeated Pen Argyl 35-27 in the District 11 quarterfinals.
The Battlin’ Miners pulled out the win behind a heroic performance from quarterback Dante Carr, who will suit up for the University of Central Florida Knights this fall.
Carr finished the game with just seven passing attempts for 35 yards, but was tremendous on the ground with 19 carries for 292 yards and four rushing touchdowns. All four touchdowns were at least 25 yards, including 54- and 63-yard runs.
Blue Mountain boys soccer wins sixth consecutive Schuylkill League Championship
The Eagles soared to a 3-0 win over Pine Grove to win their sixth consecutive league title.
Andrew Waschko scored two goals for Blue Mountain, the first a penalty kick with under 10 minutes left in the first half and the second just four minutes later. Aidan Varney added the third and final goal in the second half.
“It’s a great time to beat them for the third time in the title, and it was great to have a goal,” Varney said. “I decided to go with it and hit it with my left foot, and it got in the top corner, and the goalkeeper froze, so I was happy to see it go in.”
Schuylkill Haven defeats Lourdes in Schuylkill League Girls Basketball Championship
The Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes won their second-straight Schuylkill League Championship on Feb. 13, defeating Lourdes Regional in a come-from-behind 38-31 victory at Martz Hall.
Before the Schuylkill League championship game, the Red Raiders held a 22-1 record, had won 16 straight games and hadn’t lost to a Schuylkill League opponent all season. Their average margin of victory during the winning streak was 30 points.
Audrey Hutchinson led the Hurricanes with 14 points and McKenna Runkle had 11.
Tri-Valley football defeats Marian Catholic to win District 11 Class A Championship
Nathan Hillard nailed a 50-yard field goal for the only points of the District 11 Class A Championship Game.
Tri-Valley shut down Marian Catholic’s offense, holding the Colts to just 119 yards and forcing three turnovers, including a late fumble recovery by Donovan Keeth to wrap up the 3-0 win.
Panther Valley’s Brenda Banks wins fourth consecutive PIAA State Championship
Brenda Banks became the first-ever girls wrestler in Pennsylvania to win four consecutive state championships.
Banks finished her high school career with a 110-2 record, three District 11 Championships, three regional championships and four state championships.
Blue Mountain beats North Schuylkill in District 11 Class 4A Softball Championship
Great teams don’t blink when facing adversity, and despite trailing 6-0 in the District 11 Class 4A championship game against North Schuylkill in late May, the Blue Mountain Eagles never wavered.
The Eagles were behind 7-3 going into the bottom of the fourth, but went on to defeat North Schuylkill 12-7 to claim their fourth District 11 championship.
Addyson Fishburn led Blue Mountain with five hits and three RBI in the win.
The win also marked the program’s first championship of any kind since the passing of former coach Mike Rollman in February of 2025.
“I wear our ‘Forget About Me, I Love You, F.A.M.I.L.Y.’ shirt. I wear the shirt every day because I do it for him. The girls do it for him,” Blue Mountain coach Paul Leonard said about Rollman.
Pine Grove softball wins second-straight state title
Pine Grove softball etched itself into the history book in early June as one of the few teams in PIAA softball history to win back-to-back state championships with a 7-1 win over Sharon in the Class 3A title game.
Against Sharon pitcher Madelyn Vogan, who allowed just five runs all season, the Cardinals had six hits and two walks while taking advantage of three errors from Sharon.
Both Callee Leffler and Hannah Aungst had home runs in their final career games, and Jamie Dinger was terrific on the mound. She entered the game with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning, escaped the jam, and finished with eight strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
“Our batting lineup is one of the best out there,” Aungst said about her team’s offensive explosion. “I don’t think they faced a batting lineup like ours all season. Our batting lineup is just amazing, and we wait for our pitch, and we sit on it, and we drive it.”
Minersville wins first-ever Schuylkill League Boys Basketball Championship
First-year head coach Chris George led the Battlin’ Miners on a 20-game winning streak highlighted by a 47-44 overtime win over Pottsville for the program’s first-ever Schuylkill League title.
Minersville rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit as Shazier Bethea and Chase Zimerofsky each knocked down big shots to secure Minersville’s league title.
“We didn’t want to talk about last year… but we don’t get here without last year,” George said. “It’s something special to build up to these historic moments for these guys.”
Williams Valley defeats Schuylkill Haven for third-straight District 11 Championship
In a game for the ages, Williams Valley won its third straight District 11 Class Championship by taking down previously undefeated Schuylkill Haven, 34-31.
After scoring first in the game, Schuylkill Haven quickly took over the game, scoring 24 unanswered points and leading 24-7 late in the second quarter.
The Vikings, however, cut the deficit to 24-21 just before halftime.
Williams Valley scored on a 39-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to take a 28-24 lead, but Schuylkill Haven pulled back ahead, 31-28, late in the fourth.
The drama wasn’t done there, as Brady Shomper hit wide receiver Collin Crisswell for a 42-yard touchdown, giving the Vikings a 34-31 lead with under a minute to go. Shomper then put the icing on the cake with an interception in the final seconds to secure the District 11 title.
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The past school year created plenty of memories that will a lifetime, not just for those who played in the games, but also for those who had the opportunity to watch them from the bleachers — family, friends and media alike.
With another school year in the books, the Republican Herald sports staff has compiled a list of our 10 favorite games and moments from this previous school year.
Tri-Valley Volleyball plays in its first-ever PIAA State Championship Game
Though the Bulldogs ultimately fell to Maplewood in the state title game, their 2025 season was nothing short of historic.
Tri-Valley defeated Nativity BVM and Marian Catholic to win its second straight District 11 Championship. In the state playoffs, the Bulldogd defeated Ephrata Mennonite and Faith Christian, then knocked out 1A undefeated powerhouse Linville Hill in the semifinals.
“It was an amazing experience, just getting to continue winning all the way, to get here,” Tri-Valley coach Courtney Scheib said. “It was an awesome ride, and even though we fell short in the final match, we still accomplished history with back-to-back district championships, and we made it as far as we ever have in volleyball for states.
Minersville football beats Pen-Argyl in District 11 playoffs
In a game that may one day be simply referred to as “The Dante Carr game,” Minersville defeated Pen Argyl 35-27 in the District 11 quarterfinals.
The Battlin’ Miners pulled out the win behind a heroic performance from quarterback Dante Carr, who will suit up for the University of Central Florida Knights this fall.
Carr finished the game with just seven passing attempts for 35 yards, but was tremendous on the ground with 19 carries for 292 yards and four rushing touchdowns. All four touchdowns were at least 25 yards, including 54- and 63-yard runs.
Blue Mountain boys soccer wins sixth consecutive Schuylkill League Championship
The Eagles soared to a 3-0 win over Pine Grove to win their sixth consecutive league title.
Andrew Waschko scored two goals for Blue Mountain, the first a penalty kick with under 10 minutes left in the first half and the second just four minutes later. Aidan Varney added the third and final goal in the second half.
“It’s a great time to beat them for the third time in the title, and it was great to have a goal,” Varney said. “I decided to go with it and hit it with my left foot, and it got in the top corner, and the goalkeeper froze, so I was happy to see it go in.”
Schuylkill Haven defeats Lourdes in Schuylkill League Girls Basketball Championship
The Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes won their second-straight Schuylkill League Championship on Feb. 13, defeating Lourdes Regional in a come-from-behind 38-31 victory at Martz Hall.
Before the Schuylkill League championship game, the Red Raiders held a 22-1 record, had won 16 straight games and hadn’t lost to a Schuylkill League opponent all season. Their average margin of victory during the winning streak was 30 points.
Audrey Hutchinson led the Hurricanes with 14 points and McKenna Runkle had 11.
Tri-Valley football defeats Marian Catholic to win District 11 Class A Championship
Nathan Hillard nailed a 50-yard field goal for the only points of the District 11 Class A Championship Game.
Tri-Valley shut down Marian Catholic’s offense, holding the Colts to just 119 yards and forcing three turnovers, including a late fumble recovery by Donovan Keeth to wrap up the 3-0 win.
Panther Valley’s Brenda Banks wins fourth consecutive PIAA State Championship
Brenda Banks became the first-ever girls wrestler in Pennsylvania to win four consecutive state championships.
Banks finished her high school career with a 110-2 record, three District 11 Championships, three regional championships and four state championships.
Blue Mountain beats North Schuylkill in District 11 Class 4A Softball Championship
Great teams don’t blink when facing adversity, and despite trailing 6-0 in the District 11 Class 4A championship game against North Schuylkill in late May, the Blue Mountain Eagles never wavered.
The Eagles were behind 7-3 going into the bottom of the fourth, but went on to defeat North Schuylkill 12-7 to claim their fourth District 11 championship.
Addyson Fishburn led Blue Mountain with five hits and three RBI in the win.
The win also marked the program’s first championship of any kind since the passing of former coach Mike Rollman in February of 2025.
“I wear our ‘Forget About Me, I Love You, F.A.M.I.L.Y.’ shirt. I wear the shirt every day because I do it for him. The girls do it for him,” Blue Mountain coach Paul Leonard said about Rollman.
Pine Grove softball wins second-straight state title
Pine Grove softball etched itself into the history book in early June as one of the few teams in PIAA softball history to win back-to-back state championships with a 7-1 win over Sharon in the Class 3A title game.
Against Sharon pitcher Madelyn Vogan, who allowed just five runs all season, the Cardinals had six hits and two walks while taking advantage of three errors from Sharon.
Both Callee Leffler and Hannah Aungst had home runs in their final career games, and Jamie Dinger was terrific on the mound. She entered the game with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning, escaped the jam, and finished with eight strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
“Our batting lineup is one of the best out there,” Aungst said about her team’s offensive explosion. “I don’t think they faced a batting lineup like ours all season. Our batting lineup is just amazing, and we wait for our pitch, and we sit on it, and we drive it.”
Minersville wins first-ever Schuylkill League Boys Basketball Championship
First-year head coach Chris George led the Battlin’ Miners on a 20-game winning streak highlighted by a 47-44 overtime win over Pottsville for the program’s first-ever Schuylkill League title.
Minersville rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit as Shazier Bethea and Chase Zimerofsky each knocked down big shots to secure Minersville’s league title.
“We didn’t want to talk about last year… but we don’t get here without last year,” George said. “It’s something special to build up to these historic moments for these guys.”
Williams Valley defeats Schuylkill Haven for third-straight District 11 Championship
In a game for the ages, Williams Valley won its third straight District 11 Class Championship by taking down previously undefeated Schuylkill Haven, 34-31.
After scoring first in the game, Schuylkill Haven quickly took over the game, scoring 24 unanswered points and leading 24-7 late in the second quarter.
The Vikings, however, cut the deficit to 24-21 just before halftime.
Williams Valley scored on a 39-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to take a 28-24 lead, but Schuylkill Haven pulled back ahead, 31-28, late in the fourth.
The drama wasn’t done there, as Brady Shomper hit wide receiver Collin Crisswell for a 42-yard touchdown, giving the Vikings a 34-31 lead with under a minute to go. Shomper then put the icing on the cake with an interception in the final seconds to secure the District 11 title.
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