Greater Clarksburg 10K not afraid of change
by John G. Miller
MANAGING EDITOR
    In just two years, the Greater Clarksburg 10K Run has become the third-best 10K event in the United States, according to one publication.The reason for the event’s resounding success is complex.
    It’s taken many hours by a group of hard-working volunteers to lift the event into the national spotlight.
But race chairman Larry Mazza believes the secret of the event’s success is simple. “To keep the event at the level we’ve accomplished so quickly and push it even further, we’re focusing on four factors this year,” Mazza said. “We need more female participants. We need more fans,”Mazza said. “We need to keep it fun. And we need to make sure the event remains financially stable,” Mazza said.
     This year’s race will have several new features, including a new date, but will follow the same formula that has been successful in the past, Mazza said. “We moved the race to Saturday, July 24, instead of the first Saturday in August,” Mazza said. “This will help us attract top runners as well as more runners from the surrounding areas.”
    The event also will have a sanctioned wheelchair event. In the past, only a few wheelchair athletes competed.
Other features:
-Nearly $22,000 in prize money with the potential of an additional $30,000 in bonus money for setting American 10K and course records.
-A preregistration fee of only $9 through June 1.
The cost is $14 if delivered to the registration desk by July 23 and $20 on race day.
-The second annual Kids K for runners up to age 12. This event drew nearly 250 participants in its first year.
It will start at 10 a.m. on July 25. Preregistration is $3. Race-day registration is $5.
All participants will receive a shirt, participation award, balloon and admittance to the post-race party.
-The free 10 Weeks to the 10K runners’ clinic, which starts May 11 at the United Hospital Center’s Family Medicine Building.
    Mazza is confident this year’s event will rival or surpass the first two. “With our group of volunteers, our great community investors who provide key sponsorship and community involvement, this year promises to be another great one,” Mazza said.

PB’s Yeager named to honor squad
North Marion’s Denham joins him on Class AAA team
The Associated Press

    BECKLEY — Jon Denham of state champion North Marion and Philip Barbour’s Josh Yeager joined captain Brett Nelson of St. Albans to lead the Class AAA all-state team named by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association on Saturday.
Denham led North Marion in
scoring by averaging 23 points per game. North Marion defeated Capital on a last-second shot in the state championship game.
    Yeager, who led Philip Barbour to its first state tournament appearance, averaged 29.5 points and 13 rebounds. The 6-foot-7 senior forward signed with West Virginia University last fall.
    Nelson already has signed to play for Billy Donovan at the University of Florida, and recently handed out 11 assists in the McDonald’s High School All-America game on ESPN.
    For the second year in a row, Nelson finished second to Paw Paw’s Josh Delawder in state scoring. Nelson, a 6-3 guard, averaged 31.9 points for St. Albans, which lost to South Charleston in their regional championship game. Nelson finished his career with 2,199 points.
    Joining Denham, Yeager, Delawder and Nelson on the first team are Drew Smith from Woodrow Wilson; Bryan Crislip of Parkersburg South; Logan’s Jesper Parve; Kenny Roberts from Hedgesville; and Justin Phillips of South Charleston.
Smith led Woodrow Wilson to a 19-7 record and its 10th consecutive state tournament appearance. The senior forward averaged 18.1 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
    Crislip is the only junior on this year’s team. He led Parkersburg South to its first state tournament appearance since 1980. Crislip averaged 15 points, seven assists, four steals and seven rebounds on the season.
    Parve, a 6-5 senior, led Logan to a 13-9 record and a final ranking of No. 6. He averaged 20 points and nine rebounds.
A 6-2 senior, Roberts led Hedgesville with 20.5 points per game. Hedgesville lost to Capital in the first round of the state tournament. Phillips, a 6-3 senior, averaged 23.5 points for South Charleston, lost to North Marion in the state semifinals.
    Named to the second team were Chris Exilus of North Marion (captain); Ryan Hopkins of Parkersburg South; Kevin Harrington of Woodrow Wilson; Danny Blankenship of Wheeling Park; Darrion Scott of Capital; Michael Wright of Martinsburg; Kris Wilson of Spring Valley; and Brady Catlett of Hedgesville.

S-TU sweeps W.Va. State
From Staff Reports

    Salem-Teikyo helped its chances of making the West Virginia Conference baseball playoffs with a rare sweep of powerful West Virginia State on Saturday.
    S-TU (19-19-1, 4-6) won the opener 5-4 behind the pitching of former Liberty High School standout Jeff Pethtel.
Pethtel, a freshman, struck out nine to improve to 2-1. Chris Draper worked the final two-thirds of an inning for his seventh save.
    S-TU’s Brian Brockman homered, Paul Latterick doubled and knocked in a run, and Jeremy Sutton doubled and had an RBI.
    In the second game, a 1-0 S-TU victory, Rusty Price scattered two hits over six innings, striking out five, to improve to 5-1 for S-TU. Brockman went 2-for-3 with a double, while Chris Durant was 1-for-3 with the game’s lone RBI.
“This is huge,” said S-TU coach Brad Warnimont. “With the (WVC) power points system, we’ll get 20 points for every win they get now. Say they do their normal season, 16-18 league wins, that’s going to give us an additional 300 power points. ... This is huge for us.” West Virginia State (14-7, 6-2) hadn’t suffered a doubleheader sweep since 1996.
    DAVIS & ELKINS 7-4, Bluefield State 2-3: Davis & Elkins breezed to a 7-2 win in the opener, then scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh in the second game for 4-3 victory and the doubleheader sweep.
    Jimmy Lane got the win in the first game to improve to 4-1. Donnie Reeves was 3-for-3 with three runs, while Billy Greenwell was 2-for-3 with two runs and Ryan Ferretti 2-for-4. Davis & Elkins (14-12, 6-2 WVC) had three key double plays.
    In the key seventh inning of the second game, Greenwell had a run-scoring double, Chuck Conley’s sacrifice fly knocked in the second run, and Ferretti’s single drove home Greenwell with the winning run.
    Greenwell was 1-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI, while Reeves was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
Reeves got the win to improve to 4-3. Bluefield State fell to 2-8 in conference play.

Prep Baseball

    BRIDGEPORT 15, Notre Dame 1: Joe Honce and Justin Belcastro homered as Bridgeport cruised past Notre Dame.
Bridgeport scored 12 in the third en route to the five-inning win. BHS had 20 hits, with eight coming with two outs.
“We hit the ball hard all day long,” said Bridgeport coach Robert Shields. “I just think the more we’re playing, the better our bats are getting. ... I just hope we keep this good weather going so we can keep swinging.”
    Shields was able to use several young players, including freshman pitcher Chris Lindsey in relief. That should help build depth, Shields indicated. “We’re getting a chance to get these kids some confidence to maybe get them ready for a pinch-hitting role or a pitching spot down the road,” Shields said.
    Belcastro finished 3-for-3, adding a double, two RBIs and two runs. Honce was 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs. Also for BHS (4-2), Mike Honce was 2-for-3 with a double, Adam Belcastro was 3-for-3 with 3 runs, an RBI and a stolen base, and Chris Cunanan had a double, 3 RBIs and a run. Jeremy Wright started and got the loss for Notre Dame.
Bridgeport’s T.J. Linkous threw three shutout innings to improve to 2-0, while Lindsey gave up a run on four hits over the final two innings.
    LIBERTY 11-11, Hedgesville 5-10: Liberty breezed past Hedgesville 11-5 in the opener, then pulled out the sweep by winning the second game 11-10.
    Josh Matheny was 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBIs in the opener for Liberty (6-4), while Matt Coberly went 2-for-2 with a double, three runs and an RBI and Sam Davis was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
    Nick Matheny went the distance to get his first win, allowing the five runs on 10 hits, walking one and striking out three.
In the second game, Liberty scored five runs in the seventh to tie it, then won it on Trey Adams’ homer to open the eighth.
David Patterson had a three-run double with two outs in the seventh for Liberty, while Mike Schlicker also doubled in a run and Josh Matheny knocked in the tying run.
    “They never quit,” Liberty assistant coach Larry Ritter said. “I think in their minds they think they can hit any pitcher regardless of who it is. They just came up with big clutch hits when we had to have them. Then we got into extra innings, Trey was just focused. He hit a shot to end the ballgame.”
    Patterson finished 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBis, while Ryan Wagner was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Adams 4-for-5 with four runs and an RBI. Davis also was 2-for-4.
    Josh Matheny threw a scoreless inning in relief to get the win.

College all-star hoops game set for Friday
by Matt Harvey
SPORTSEDITOR
    The Winner’s Choice West Virginia Colleges All-Star Game is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lincoln High School.
The all-star basketball game features seniors from WVU, Marshall and West Virginia’s small colleges.
Tickets, costing $5 per each, will be sold at the door. There also will be a slam-dunk competition at halftime, and a fan participation contest.
    Traditionally, organizer Barry Calef, 30, of Clarksburg has kept players from rival teams apart. For instance, Marshall and WVU players weren’t on the same side.
    But this year, with nine seniors from Fairmont State expected to participate, including WVC Player of the Year Dewayne Richardson, will Calef change tradition? “This might be first year I put WVU and Marshall on the same side, because Fairmont might have an advantage since they’ve played together two years and they know each other,” Calef said.
Calef started the game nine years ago to promote West Virginia Conference basketball.
    At the request of small-college players, the contest evolved after three years to include Division I players from WVU and Marshall.
    Former Liberty basketball coach George Rice and former Fairmont State basketball coach Joe Lambiotte will coach the all-star game. Rosters probably will be finalized by the middle of next week, Calef said.
    WVU’s Elton Scott, Marshall’s Carlton King, Salem-Teikyo’s Donald Harrison and Glenville State’s Terry Clark are expected to play.

Loria, Marra
deserving of accolades
    For the past 15 years, the Clarksburg Columbian Club has kept the memory of Frank Loria alive by honoring the All-Harrison County football team at the Frank Loria Awards Banquet.
    Now, college football has remembered the former Virginia Tech two-time All-American defensive back known for his gutsy, never-say-quit performances.
    Loria, who also starred at Notre Dame High School, was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame on Friday.
“Frank wasn’t big and they said he wasn’t that fast, but he always found a way to get the job done,” said longtime friend Clarence Fiber during a recent interview. “He just outworked everyone.”
    That’s what makes Friday’s honor even more special. Frank Loria was a blue-collar guy. Maybe he wasn’t the most gifted athlete, but he had the desire. And with hard work, he made himself an All-American and now a Hall of Famer.
Loria, an assistant coach at Marshall, died when the football team’s plane crashed outside of Huntington in 1970.
Loria’s son, Frank Jr., was on hand for Friday’s ceremony in South Bend, Ind. Loria’s wife was seven months pregnant with Frank Jr. when Loria was killed.
    “I can tell he was not only a great football player but a great man by the way people look at me and see a little bit of him in me,” Loria said. “I know that my dad would be grateful.”
    And North Central West Virginia is proud.

    Another legend will be honored today, but in a less formal way as friends gather to “roast” former Harrison County educator “Coach” Joe Marra.
    Marra coached at Shinnston and Washington Irving high schools and also served as principal at Notre Dame High School.
While many of Marra’s teams were highly successful, he’s best remembered for being an outstanding teacher and as someone who related well with his students.
    Marra also has been a driving force in the Harrison County Coaches Association and worked diligently to make the annual junior varsity basketball tournament a success. The tournament, which bears Marra’s name, helps fund two scholarships to deserving Harrison County students.
    Today’s dinner begins at 2 p.m. at Philip’s Restaurant in Clarksburg. Tickets are $30. The event is sponsored by the Notre Dame Athletic Boosters.

Regional race series designed to generate more interest in running
by John G. Miller
MANAGING EDITOR
    Area runners will have more to compete for this summer as the Clarksburg Area Race Series debuts. If it works like organizer David Weekley envisions, more runners will compete in local events.
    “Larry Mazza brought the idea to me back in January,” Weekley said. “Larry had noticed a similar concept called the Morgantown Area Grand Prix that had worked well for their area and was hoping a similar series could generate additional interest in running in the Clarksburg area.
    “Plus, many of these runs are fund-raisers for worthwhile charities, so it’s helping many good causes.”
The 10-race series begins April 24 with the Lightburn 5K. Other events:
-The Blue & Gray 5K, June 5 in Philippi.
-The PATCH Run 5K, June 10 in West Union.
-The Burger King Presents the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival 5K, June 19 at Eastpointe in Clarksburg.
-The Benedum Festival 5K, July 17 in Bridgeport.
-Huntington Banks Fairmont 5K/10K, July 17 in Fairmont.
-The Greater Clarksburg 10K Run, July 24 in Clarksburg.
-The United Way Kickoff 5K, Sept. 12 in Bridgeport.
-The Sprint Print Run for the Park 5K, Sept. 19 in Bridgeport.
-The Apple Butter Festival 5K, Oct. 9 in Salem.
    The top three male and female finishers will receive trophies, as will age-division winners. Participants who finish five of the 10 events will receive certificates. “I think this gives area runners more incentive to run in more of the area races,”Mazza said.
    Similar series have increased participation by as much as 60 percent. But he said a more modest goal is a 25-percent increase in each of the 10 events.
    For more information, check out www.runwv.com.

Terry brothers ready for 1999
Injuries plagued Nate & Shawn in ’98 season
by Joedy McCreary
SPORTS WRITER
MORGANTOWN — It was tough to be a Terry in 1998.
    Shawn Terry, a wide receiver redshirted in 1997, saw scant action for West Virginia. He caught just one varsity pass for seven yards and spent most of his Saturday afternoons on the sidelines.
    And Nate Terry, a senior starter at cornerback for the Mountaineers, broke his clavicle — and, with it, his heart — in the second game of the year. He missed the rest of the season.
    So when Nate Terry joined younger brother Shawn on the Mountaineers’ sidelines for the team’s final 10 games, the elder Terry found himself consoling Shawn and keeping his baby brother’s spirits up.
Even when Nate’s weren’t exactly sky-high, either.
    “With him not getting too much playing time ... when you get on the field, I told him to just show what he can do,” Nate Terry said. “If it were me in his shoes, I would’ve been frustrated, too.”
    That’s just the thing: To a degree, Nate Terry was in his brother’s situation, stuck in the unfamiliar role of spectator.
Turned out Nate’s clavicle wasn’t nearly as injured as his psyche.
    “Sometimes it bothered me to want to play so bad and everything,” Nate Terry said. “It bothered me a lot. Every now and then, I’d go crazy.”
    But just like their childhood days growing up in Homestead, Fla., Nate was the consummate big brother to Shawn. And now, as collegians in Morgantown, things wouldn’t differ.
    “It’s nice to have a big brother like Nate,” Shawn said. “He always works hard, and the way he does things on and off the field ... I just love to watch him.”
    And when WVU’s spring drills started three weeks ago, both Terrys found themselves back on the field — right where they expected to be, despite the adversity of ’98.
    Nate claims no ill effects from the season-ending shoulder injury. “I feel completely healed,” Nate said. “I still don’t want it to happen again. I’ve been working every day to make sure it’s better.”
    Shawn, meanwhile, has worked his way up the Mountaineers’ receiving depth chart and could see significant action this season as the backup to Pat Greene at flanker.
    It doesn’t matter whether Marc Bulger, Brad Lewis or Andy Keating is throwing the ball to Shawn.Just as long as it’s coming his way. “With Bulger, he has a little more zip on the ball,” Shawn said. “Brad and Andy are like the same.”
    The Terry brothers were the toast of WVU’s first officiated scrimmage of the spring. Shawn caught a team-best six passes for 47 yards, while Nate intercepted a Brad Lewis pass.
    Still, one question lingers: If defensive back Nate covered wide receiver Shawn in an upcoming scrimmage, who would get the better of whom?
    The brothers laughed at the question. “I guess we’ll just have to find out,” said Shawn. It seems 1999 will be a much better year to be a Terry.

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