MIDDLETOWN BLUE RAIDERS
Weekly Athletic Department Newsletter 2.21.21
Weekly Schedule:
Monday:
JV/V Boys Basketball v. East Pennsboro (6:00/7:30pm)*
JV/V Girls Basketball @ East Pennsboro (6:00/7:30pm)**
JH JV/V Boys Basketball @ Carlisle (4:00/5:00pm)**
Tuesday:
JV/V Girls Basketball @ Bishop McDevitt (6:00/7:30pm)**
Wednesday:
V Boys Basketball v. Steelton (6:00pm)*
JV Boys Basketball v. Steelton - canceled
V Girls Basketball @ Steelton (6:00pm)**
Friday:
V Boys Basketball v. Trinity (3:45pm)*
JV/V Girls Basketball v. Trinity (6:00/7:30pm)*
Saturday:
JV/V Boys Basketball v. Boiling Springs (10:00/11:30am)*
Spectator Policy Revisited Bi-Weekly (3.2.21)
^Scrimmage
^^Spectators asked to limit two per student
*Spectator Policy (Parents Only with pre-approved tickets/roster)
**No Spectators permitted
Blue Raiders Scoreboard:
SCOREBOARD
Girls Basketball:
Varsity Record (1-7)
2/16 @ Trinity (L 82-33)
2/18 v. Susquehanna - PPD
2/19 v. Bishop McDevitt (L 66-21)
Junior Varsity Record (1-5)
2/16 @ Trinity (L 41-15)
2/19 v. Bishop McDevitt (L)
Junior High Varsity Record (8-0)
2/17 @ Mifflin Co. (W 43-24)
2/18 v. Mifflin Co. - Canceled
2/19 @ Palmyra
Junior High JV Record (2-5)
2/17 @ Mifflin Co. (L 37-10)
2/18 v. Mifflin Co. - Canceled
2/19 @ Palmyra
Boys Basketball:
Varsity Record (9-4)
2/15 v. Upper Dauphin - Canceled
2/16 v. Trinity - PPD (2/26)
2/19 @ Bishop McDevitt (L 53-50)
Junior Varsity Record (10-2)
2/15 v. Upper Dauphin - Canceled
2/16 v. Trinity - Canceled
2/19 @ Bishop McDevitt (W 50-38)
Junior High Varsity Record (3-2)
2/17 v. Mifflin Co. (W 47-24)
2/18 @ Mifflin Co. - Canceled
2/19 v. Palmyra
Junior High JV Record (0-4)
2/17 v. Mifflin Co. (L 30-21)
2/18 @ Mifflin Co. - Canceled
2/19 v. Palmyra
Wrestling:
Varsity Record (3-14)
Junior High Record (1-0)
Register for Spring Sports
If you have any questions regarding sport specific questions, please reach out to our coaches and staff listed below.
Baseball - Coach Lupia - mlupia@raiderweb.org
Softball - Coach Thomas - mthomas@raiderweb.org
High School Track & Field - Coach Woodrow - jwoodrow@raiderweb.org
Middle School Track & Field - Coach Woodrow - jwoodrow@raiderweb.org
Middle School Girls Soccer - Coach Novak - jnovak@raiderweb.org
Middle School Boys Soccer - Coach Roberts - troberts@raiderweb.org
Boys Tennis - Coach Miller - lmiller@raiderweb.org
NEWS AND HEADLINES
Brock Welsh Joins Football Royalty
When the Blue Raiders Head Football Coach, Brett Myers, was informed that one of his players was selected for the Big 33 Football Classic, he went into planning mode to prepare a surprise reveal for his player. Unfortunately, a snowstorm thwarted the plans to surprise the senior athlete in-person at school so Plan B was implemented.
Pennsylvania’s 38-member 2021 Big 33 team roster was announced live on Zoom on Thursday, February 18 at 1:45 p.m. Minutes earlier, Brock Welsh and his family joined Coach Myers on Zoom not knowing they were about to watch the Big 33 live Roster Release and hear a familiar name.
The roster reveal was followed by a press conference at 2:00 p.m. The Big 33 Football Classic, also known as the “Super Bowl of High School Football,” held its first kick-off in 1957. Every NFL Super Bowl has proudly featured Big 33 Alums, including FOUR in this year’s Super Bowl.
Welsh will be the long snapper in the 64th Football Classic on Monday, May 31, 2021 at Central Dauphin School District’s Landis Field in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County. Kickoff is 1:00 p.m.
Website: https://raiderweb.org/news/what_s_new/welsh_selected_for_big_33_football_classic
Guckavan with Stellar Performance at MPC Swimming Championships
1 Mowe, Braelen SO Boiling Springs
2:01.64 1:57.98 9 25.63 56.66 (31.03) 1:31.28 (34.62) 1:57.98 (26.70)
2 Guckavan, Gavin M JR Middletown
2:00.06 1:58.46 7 25.21 54.41 (29.20) 1:29.32 (34.91) 1:58.46 (29.14)
Event 20 Boys 100 Yard Backstroke
1 Stuckey, Gavin SR Northern
56.11 54.36 9 26.31 54.36 (28.05)
2 Guckavan, Gavin M JR Middletown
55.53 54.39 7 26.62 54.39 (27.77)
Website: http://midpennswimchamp.info/2021_AA_Boys_Results.htm
Girls Basketball Week of February 8th by Larry Etter
Middletown 51, East Pennsboro 37
Even behind her protective mask it was evident that first-year head coach LaSonda Dixon had a big smile on her face following the Lady Raiders’ win over the visiting Panthers. That first victory of the season really made Dixon and her players happy following a pair of losses earlier in the week.
Junior guard Makayla Claggett posted a game-high 21 points, Amanda Lee scored 13 and four other players added to the scoring in the much-needed win. The victory came on the heels of a deflating setback at Lower Dauphin the night before and gave the young team a pleasing lift.
The Raiders got off to a good start, finishing the first period with a 7-0 run to take a 15-6 lead. The run came on a trey by Peyton Attivo and a pair of goals by Claggett. The Panthers’ points came on a pair of triples but East Pennsboro made just 2 of 11 shots in the opening quarter. Tamia Hill and Claggett put together a 6-point run following an early triple by the Panthers to start the second period. Although the Lady Raiders missed a number of shots in the quarter, so, too, did the Panthers. At the half Middletown led 25-18.
Attivo started off the second half with a bucket and, following a goal by East Penn’s Alexis Erdman, Claggett and Allie Cleland scored 6 straight to give the home team a 33-20 cushion. From there it was a matter of playing ahead which led to a 45-26 advantage heading into the final frame. Things did get a bit shaky after that as the Blue Raiders had troubles with turnovers and missed shots. East Pennsboro tried to rally and outscored their hosts 7-2 in the early minutes, but the defense held firm and turned away the late charge. Late scores by Lee and Attivo kept the Raiders safely out in front.
Camp Hill 67, Middletown 50
A spirited effort by the Lady Raiders against visiting Camp Hill on Tuesday made for an interesting game. But, in the end, the Lady Lions were just better than their hosts in earning the 17-point victory. Claggett collected 21 points, Lee popped in 13 and Attivo scored 10 to lead the Raiders in the loss. But, their efforts were overshadowed by Camp Hill ace Ellie Goodwin who registered a game-high 27 points to lead the Lions to the win.
The Raiders trailed but just two, 13-11, at the end of the first quarter, but were down by nine, 32-23, at the halftime break. A 14-point third quarter normally would have been enough to stay in contention, but Camp Hill, with 6 players putting up points, dropped in 23 in the span to run out to a 55-37 advantage heading into the fourth period. Claggett and Lee scored the first 5 points of the final quarter and a pair of treys by Claggett and Attivo pulled the Blue Raiders to within eleven, 59-48, with 4:12 left. But the Lions finished strong and held the home team to just two points the rest of the way to lock up the win.
Lower Dauphin 61, Middletown 27
On Thursday in the second game of a girls-boys double header, the Lady Raiders were simply outplayed from start to finish by the dominant Lady Falcons. Lower Dauphin girls basketball is always good, always in contention for division and district titles, and this team was no exception. The Falcons put up 22 points in the first quarter to lead by an overwhelming 43-13 advantage by halftime.
At the end of three periods the lead had grown to 55-16 and the balance of the game was played with the mercy clock running. Claggett was off her game under the pressure of the Lower Dauphin defense and scored just 9 points, which turned out to be a high for the Middletown side. For Lower Dauphin, Katie Weigle scored a game-high 19 points, Olivia Weigher collected 11 and 7 other Falcons added points in the win.
(Read more on link below)
Website: https://raiderweb.org/news/what_s_new/blue_raiders_weekly_highlights
Wrestling Week of February 8th by Larry Etter
Problems with a shortage of players continued to haunt Daniel Riggs and his wrestling team throughout last week’s action on the mats. The results were losses in four straight matches for the short-handed squad as the regular season came to a close. The lone win last week came against Steelton-Highspire, a team with even less wrestlers than the Middletown mat men.
Northern Lebanon 59, Middletown 6
The Raiders picked up a pair of wins by Matt Mitchell at 215 (6-4 decision) and Sebastian Dash at 285 (6-4 decision). But the team lost at 106, 113, 132, 145, 152, 160 and 189. The Raiders also forfeited at 120, 126 and 172.
Elizabethtown 54, Middletown 15
At Elizabethtown on Wednesday Ayden Miller won by forfeit at 189, Mitchell decisioned Hottenstein 3-2 at 215 and Dash won by forfeit at 285 for the Raiders’ only wins. The Raiders forfeited at 145, 172 and 26. The other losses all came by falls.
Lower Dauphin 60, Middletown 9
The Falcons have a long history of winning wrestling and had little trouble in the overwhelming 60-9 win on Thursday in Middletown’s gym. Down 18-0 early in the match Middletown picked up a pair of victories when Mitchell decisioned Domenic DeFrank 7-1 at 215 and Dash stopped Aaron Moyer 9-2 at 285. At 113 Chance Sweeny shut out Jorge Burgos 6-0, but Lower Dauphin won the next 6 bouts via forfeits at 120, 126 and 145 and pins at 132, 138 and 152 to cruise to the win.
Harrisburg 50, Middletown 15
On Saturday morning Harrisburg came calling, bringing a nearly full squad with them and claimed the easy win because of it. Without both Mitchell and Ayden Miller to help, the Raiders struggled once again. The Cougars won the opening bout at 285, but Sam Miller picked up a forfeit win at 106 and Sweeny fought for a double extra period 9-8 decision at 113 to give the home team a 9-6 lead. The Raiders forfeited at 120, there was no match at 126 and Rha’Kye Wise won by forfeit at 132 to edge the Raiders back in front 15-12. But the home team would not score again.
Dominic Corradi lost vis pin at 138, the Raiders forfeited at 145, Isaac lost a major decision at 152, Vinnie Corradi was pinned at 160 and the Raiders forfeited at 172 and 189 leading to a 47-15 advantage for the Cougars. At 215 Dash battled Harrisburg’s James Murray to a 1-1 stalemate forcing extra time. Murray ended up with a 2-1 win with an escape in the third extra period.
Middletown 36, Steelton-Highspire 12
In their second dual of the day on Saturday the Blue Raiders got the win against the Rollers who brought just two wrestlers to the match. The two wrestlers who did get to grapple both lost, however, giving Steel-High its only points. Dominic Corradi at 138 and Troy Stein at 285 both lost by pins against Anthony Johnston and Kyler Raye-Williams. The wins for the Middletown team all came through forfeits.
(Read more on link below)
Website: https://raiderweb.org/news/what_s_new/blue_raiders_weekly_highlights
Boys Basketball Week of February 8th by Larry Etter
Middletown 67, Camp Hill 66
A late, uncontested three-pointer by Camp Hill gunner Cam Ochs ended the game as a one-point victory for the Middletown boys, making the game’s final score a bit deceiving. The Blue Raiders got off to a good start and led 24-17 at the end of the first quarter and 36-29 at halftime. The Raiders played well enough to hold off a rally by the Lions, who were led by Ochs with a game-high 27 points. Ochs played very well, but only one other Lion scored in double figures.
On the Middletown side Tony Powell and Tajae Broadie each put up 15 points, Tate Leach recorded 14 and Tymir Jackson chipped in 12 in the balanced scoring effort by the winners. In the tightly-played Capital Division contest, foul shooting turned out to be a deciding factor. The Raiders made 21 of 36 free throws, including 7 of 13 in the fourth quarter that helped seal the win. Tate Leach made 5 of 6 and younger brother Tyson made both of his in the fourth in the 8-minute span.
T. J. Daniels scored 7 of his 9 points in the first half, while Powell and Broadie teamed for 19 markers before halftime to spot the Blue Raiders their 36-29 lead. The teams each scored 12 points in the second stanza and the Raiders led by seven at the break. Camp Hill actually outscored the Middletown side 37-31 in the second half, but that included the late three by Ochs with the Raiders leading by four.
Middletown 50, Lower Dauphin 41
In the opening game of the double header at Lower Dauphin on Thursday the Blue Raiders took on the task of testing themselves against the Falcons who were ranked at the number two 5-A team in District III and serious contenders for the Keystone Division crown. On this night the Falcons were good, but the Raiders were just a bit better, resulting in the pleasing 50-41 victory.
Tymir Jackson registered a game-high 18 points, one better than L.D.s 6’7 center Caleb Gibbs and two better than Falcon guard Josh Gardner, whom both played well in the loss. After the Raiders had jumped out to a surprising 9-0 lead, Gardner had the hot hand and scored 10 of his points in the first period to lead the Falcons to a 16-13 lead. Jackson collected 8 of his in the same span.
The Raiders pulled a reversal in the second and started off with a 15-0 run before Charlie Forney broke the string with 59 seconds left. That run pushed the Middletown five well in front, 28-18, at halftime. The Falcons came right back in the third quarter and, with five different players putting up points, outgunned the cooled off Middletown side 15-6 in the period in a successful rally. The Falcons scored the last 13 points of the frame to cut the Middletown lead to 34-33 heading into the final 8 minutes. Gibbs scored from the low post 46 seconds into the fourth quarter to temporarily put the Falcons ahead. But Derek Wall’s bucket off a Jackson assist, followed by a pair of Jackson triples off Falcon misses put the Raiders ahead to stay at 42-35 with 4:30 to go. An 8-6 scoring finish for Middletown in the latter half of the quarter helped seal the win for the Raiders.
East Pennsboro 64, Middletown 62
Coming off that emotional win against Lower Dauphin and having to play yet another road game the following night may have been too much to ask of the Middletown players. That, plus the fact that the host Panthers were playing better than they had been, turned out to be a tough assignment for the Blue Raiders in Enola on Friday evening. As a result the Raiders lost their first Capital Division game of the year in an upset loss.
East Pennsboro’s sharp shooter Devin Shellenberger made 5 threes, the Panthers made 9 in all, and the host team held on for the win. After battling to a 31=31 tie at halftime, the Panthers used a slim 18-16 scoring edge in the third quarter to their advantage, which proved to be the difference in the contest. Tajae Broadie recorded 25 points, Jackson had 16 and Powell added 13 to the Middletown offense that just came up short of victory.
The Blue Raiders got off to a slow start and were outscored 19-13 in the first quarter. An 18-12 scoring edge in the second, however, pulled the Middletown squad even at halftime. In the third quarter the Panthers picked up scoring from 6 different players to eke out a 49-47 lead after three periods of action. And, in the final frame, the teams battled to a 15-15 point draw with the hosts hanging on with their slim lead. A late possession by the Raiders ended in a turnover, denying the Blue Raiders a chance to tie the score or go ahead.
(Read more on link below)
Website: https://raiderweb.org/news/what_s_new/blue_raiders_weekly_highlights
Middletown’s Tajae Broadie adds Big 10 offer to his list
By Brian Linder
Tajae Broadie added a Big 10 offer to his list Wednesday.
The Middletown junior said that Minnesota has entered the mix for his services.
That is the 16th offer for the 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end.
He also claims offers from Western Michigan, Coastal Carolina, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Syracuse, Bowling Green, West Virginia, Kent State, Akron, Central Michigan, UConn, Old Dominion and Buffalo.
(Read more on link below)
Website: https://www.pennlive.com/sports/2021/02/middletowns-tajae-broadie-adds-big-10-offer-to-his-list.html
Mid-Penn girls basketball leaders: Scoring, 3-pointers, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks through Feb. 14
By Eric F. Epler | eepler@pennlive.com
It’s crunch time in Mid-Penn Conference girls basketball. The regular season is closing fast and division races are heating up. So, which players are filling up the scorebook? PennLive is putting together a list of conference leaders in multiple categories.
ª Mid-Penn sports schedule for Feb. 15-20
PennLive will publish updated stat leaders each week through the regular season. Coaches are encouraged to submit stats to eepler@pennlive.com by noon Monday.
(Read more on link below)
Mid-Penn boys basketball leaders: Scoring, 3-pointers, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks through Feb. 14
By Edward Sutelan | esutelan@pennlive.com
The Mid-Penn boys basketball season is underway, and PennLive is putting together the list of the leaders this season in the conference in several statistics.
PennLive has received stats from coaches around the league for games through Monday, Feb. 15, and published the leaders in points per game, 3-pointers, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
PennLive will publish boys basketball stats every Wednesday through the remainder of the regular season. Coaches are encouraged to send stats to esutelan@pennlive.com by noon Monday each week.
(Read more on link below)
ONLINE STORE
RAIDERVILLE
Website: https://mtownathletics.bigteams.com/main/otherad?contentID=52920396
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Middletown Teammates of the Week
Week of February 14, 2021
JP Horetsky, JH Boys Basketball, 8th – Excellence
“JP has shown excellence both on the court and in the classroom this season. He works hard for good grades, and continues to get better with his low post game as the season moves on. He is a great example of what a student-athlete should be.” ~ Coach Vaughn
Each week, Student-Athletes, Coaches and Faculty can nominate someone they feel is a great teammate for the past week.
The week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday at midnight. The list will be collected Monday of the next week and published to all the coaches and faculty members at Middletown area High School each Tuesday.
What makes a good teammate? Multiple reasons!
Here is a great quote by Kobe Bryant that can help sum it up:
"I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot."
The Blue Raiders instill the following leadership qualities P,R,I,D,E. When nominating a fellow Blue Raider, please list one of these qualities in your description.
P-erseverance, R-espect, I-ntegrity, D-iscipline, E-xcellence
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A TEAMMATES NAME
Website: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffjXYjh0oVsjIN9SmEeQismTeOQKhileUb9AY7vU2PVSkruQ/viewform
Register Online to Participate
Website: https://www.familyid.com/organizations/middletown-area-school-district
WWW.MTOWNATHLETICS.ORG
Website: https://mtownathletics.bigteams.com
Schedule Alerts
Watch our Blue Raiders on the NFHS Network
The NFHS Network is the leader in streaming Live and On Demand high school sports.
The NFHS Network covers 27 different regular season and postseason sports, as well as other high school activities, celebrating the accomplishments of students-athletes, student broadcasters, and high schools across the country.
Partnered with the National Federation of State High School Associations, 44+ high school state athletic/activities associations, and PlayOn! Sports, the NFHS Network is a joint venture created to provide fans with the ability to stream high school sports on any device, from wherever they are.
All NFHS Network events are available to watch online at www.NFHSnetwork.com and through the NFHS Network Live App for iOS and Android. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Watching high school sports and events has never been easier.
Website: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/middletown-area-high-school-middletown-pa
Online Tickets via Ticket Spicket
Season passes will not be available for use at this time.
Website: https://events.ticketspicket.com/agency/ad39d468-d5ed-4cef-afee-4a054ebb200c
Share your Photos
Captured the action!? You can upload those amazing game photos directly to your team so that moment can be immortalized for all time!
Blue Raider Twitter Accounts
Here are the following Twitter accounts for each team and program:
@BlueRaidersMASD (Athletic Department)
@MASDFieldHockey (Field Hockey)
@MAMS_BlueRaider (Middletown Area Middle School)
@MiddletownGirl1 (Girls Basketball)
@MtownBoysSoccer (Boys Soccer)
@AndMiddletown (Track & Field)
@MWrestlin (Wrestling)
@M_TownGSoccer (Girls Soccer)
@MTownFBInfo (Football)
@MTownTennis (Tennis)
@MTownRaiderBall (Baseball)
@BlueRaiderCheer (Cheerleading)
@MTownHoops (Boys Basketball)
@middletownASD (MASD)
Please follow our accounts for the most updated news and alerts.
Twitter: @blueraidersmasd
Blue Raiders Championships and Awards
Middletown Blue Raiders
Championships and Awards
The lists provided have been researched through the PIAA, District III and Mid-Penn Conference websites.
If you know of any missing accolades or have any corrections, please complete our form to be sent to our Director of Athletics, Mr. Richard Reed.
GO RAIDERS!
Website: https://mtownathletics.bigteams.com/main/otherad/contentID/52671502
Sports Seasons
Fall Sports:
Boys & Girls Cross Country (Junior High / Varsity) AA
Cheerleading (Junior High / JV / Varsity)
Field Hockey (Junior High / JV) AA
Football (Freshman / JV / Varsity) AAA
Golf (Varsity) AA
Boys Soccer (JV / Varsity) AA
Girls Soccer (JV / Varsity) AA
Girls Tennis (Varsity) AA
Girls Volleyball (JV / Varsity) AAA
Winter Sports:
Boys Basketball (Junior High / JV / Varsity) AAAA
Girls Basketball (Junior High / JV / Varsity ) AAAA
Bowling*
Cheerleading (JV / Varsity)
Wrestling (Freshman / Varsity) AA
Spring Sports:
Baseball (JV / Varsity) AAAA
Boys Lacrosse** (Varsity)
Boys Soccer (Junior High)
Girls Soccer (Junior High)
Softball (JV / Varsity) AAAA
Boys Tennis (Varsity) AA
Boys Track & Field (Junior High / Varsity) AAA
Girls Track & Field (Junior High / Varsity) AAA
*Club
**Co-Op with Bishop McDevitt
Middletown Athletic Hall of Fame
The committee of the newly formed Middletown Athletic Hall of Fame has selected the inaugural class of inductees.
Congratulations to the following MAHS alumnae who have been inducted in the Class of 2020 Middletown Hall of Fame!
Earl Brown '74
Tony Colston '64
Dave Grabuloff '93
Ben Olsen '95
Missy Stewart '86
Dave Twardzik '68
Paula Wilkins '90
Coach Ed Brunner
Coach Dennis Iezzi
Coach John Rowan
1968 Boys Basketball Team
Website: https://mtownathletics.bigteams.com/main/otherad/contentID/52823349
NCAA Information
Website: https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/
Technical Support Information & Department Apps
Mid Penn Conference
Website: https://www.midpennconference.org/
District III
Website: https://piaad3.org/
Middletown Blue Raiders Athletic Department
Email: rreed@raiderweb.org
Website: www.mtownathletics.org
Location: 1155 North Union Street, Middletown, PA, USA
Phone: 717.948.3300
Twitter: @BlueRaidersMASD