The Punxsy girls' golf team held its first of two home meets for the season, hosting all five Allegheny Mountain League opponents, and coming in with the lowest team score (215) to win all five matches on Tuesday at the Punxsutawney Country Club.

Kierstin Riley (50), Brianna Hoover (53), Maeve Hanley (55) and Lizzie Sikora (57) were Punxsy's four scorers. The Lady Chucks bested DuBois (224), Brookville (276) and Curwensville (294), with Brockway and Ridgway forfeiting due to not having four players, though the individuals still participated.

The only other fall sports action on Tuesday was the girls' tennis team hosting St. Marys, but the persistent — though light — rain showers won out, forcing the match to be suspended.

Wednesday's schedule consists of just one road match, as the boys' golf team travels to Hollidaysburg.

KARNS CITY — The end result — a 49-7 Karns City victory — wasn't exactly what the Punxsy varsity football team hoped for on Friday night at the Gremlins' stadium. But on a smaller scale, after a tough opening loss to Clarion Area last Friday night, another thing the Chucks hoped for was progress, and this time around — especially early in the game — Punxsy showed plenty of fight and lined up well with Karns City. Just ahead of halftime, though, a few big plays — including a 49-yard touchdown pass, a kickoff return for a touchdown and a big run play for a touchdown, all in the span of six minutes — put the game out of reach and helped the Gremlins pull away.

"I thought we came out and competed from the opening kickoff, and we had a nice defensive series going there, but unfortunately we gave up one big third-down play and then had a penalty that moved the chains again. If we stop them there and get them off the field, we have a chance to punch back; unfortunately, it didn't happen," Punxsy head coach Brad Wright said after the game. "Throughout the first quarter, though, I thought we played really competitive, tough football, and we showed signs of some really good things. But we also made some youthful mistakes — lining up wrong at times and such — and we just need to clean those things up. You can chalk them up to inexperience, but we'll get those things fixed and keep working hard going forward."

For a full recap plus plenty of photos from Friday's game, grab a print edition of Saturday's Spirit.

Punxsy will return to action next week with a new twist to the Route 36 rivalry, as the Chucks will host Brookville, but the game will be played on Thursday evening instead of Friday. Kickoff from Jack LaMarca Stadium will be at 7 p.m.

Prior to their home match against Indiana on Monday afternoon, the Punxsutawney Area High School girls' tennis team held a special ceremony to recognize its seven senior members. Pictured here (front row, from left) with their family members are Elizabeth Stello, the daughter of Chris and Lynne Stello; Julia Smoker, the daughter of Niki Smoker; Taegan Ludwig, the daughter of Dan and Tessa Ludwig; Madi Lorelli, the daughter of Traci and Rich Lorelli; Abby Gigliotti, the daughter of Brad and Lori Gigliotti; Camden Emhoff, the daughter of Michael and Michele Emhoff; and Allie Doverspike, the daughter of Edy and Eric Doverspike. The Lady Chucks went on to pick up a 4-3 win over Indiana. For individual photos of each player in action and a recap, grab a print edition of The Spirit on Tuesday.

The Rebel Rollers Roller Derby team played host to a home bout on Saturday against the visiting Rustbelt Rollers at the Barletta Skate Park in Punxsutawney, and the hosting Rebels picked up a 205-178 victory to boot. The MVP jammer was Debbie "Phoenix" Wingard (left photo, far left), and the MVP blocker was Jackie “Jambo” Gaston (right photo, far right). The group is always welcoming new skaters and referees. Practices are held on Thursday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Reynoldsville Rollerdrome. For more photos from Saturday’s bout, see Monday's print edition. (Photos by Zak Lantz/The Punxsutawney Spirit)

Pictured here is Punxsy boys’ golfer Zack VanLeer, who had himself a stellar day on Wednesday, posting an individual score of 79 to earn first place overall in the Punxsutawney Invitational held at the Punxsutawney Country Club. VanLeer is seen firing one out of the sand on the second hole — where he began the day.

The Chucks as a team also finished second in the tournament played on their own course. The tournament served as a precursor for Districts, as well, which will be played in Punxsy next week.

The Punxsy girls’ golf program hosted its final home AML meet of the year on Thursday, and prior to the match, the Lady Chucks honored their one senior, Brianna Hoover. Hoover is pictured here with her parents, Todd and Peggy Hoover and (second photo) blasting her way out of the sand on the third hole during the match. Maeve Hanley and Hoover shot low rounds of 47 and 48, respectively, to lead the Lady Chucks to a five-win home sweep.

Ahead of the match, Punxsy coach Brad Constantino thanked Hoover for her time with the program during the recognition ceremony and also asked for a round of applause for each of the visiting teams' senior members: Curwensville's Tozer and Swindell; Brockway's Pisarchick, Mazie Smith, Mariah Serafini and Sara Trunzo; and Ridgway's Laney Gilmore. DuBois and Brookville were without any senior members this season.

In other Punxsy sports action on Thursday, the junior high football team bested Brookville 28-6 behind a solid all-around effort that saw the Chucks record a total of eight sacks and rush for more than 250 yards.

Friday's schedule includes two events — the junior high girls' basketball team hosting Johnsonburg (beginning at 4:15 p.m.) and the varsity football team taking on Kane in the annual Homecoming game at 7 p.m.

PUNXSUTAWNEY — The Punxsutawney Country Club played host to the District 9 Boys' Golf Championships on Monday — playing through rain showers and beating the worst of the weather that arrived just after the groups finished up. On the course, Punxsy's boys finished with a team score of 347, three strokes behind AA District 9 champion Ridgway's score of 344. Three individuals from the Punxsy squad — Ryan Roberts, Zack VanLeer and Sean Deeley — finished in the top 16 in the AA scorers to put themselves in the running for the individual title, which will be decided with a second round at the club on Saturday.

Smethport's Connor Alfieri and Kane's Curt Barner enter Saturday atop the AA field, with each having scored 78 on Monday. Ridgway's Zack Zameroski and Eric Christoff each finished with an 81, and Roberts and VanLeer were right behind them with rounds of 82. Hayden Seigel of Clarion-Limestone and Elk County Catholic's Will Uberti tied for seventh with their scores of 84, and Brady Streich of Coudersport took ninth with a round of 87. Three golfers — David Cable of Brookville, Hayden Callen of C-L and Collin Porter of Ridgway — tied with rounds of 88 to round out the top 10, and three more — Curwensville's Nate Hryn and Monitau's Jacob Felsing and Nate Tack — tied for 13th with 89s, while Deeley rounded out the field of 16 qualifiers with a score of 90.

Punxsy also saw Graham McFarland tie for 17th with a score of 91 and Jackson Fezell finish tied for 19th with a score of 93.

It was a busy day for the Punxsy sports department, but a good one, as Punxsy saw two varsity home games — boys' soccer and volleyball — both go their way, as well as some strong showings on the road by the cross country program and the junior high basketball teams.

At home, Punxsy's boys' soccer team opened things with an 11-0 victory over Ligonier Valley, fueled by a five-goal performance by Zach Reitz. Then, in the volleyball match, Punxsy saw Katelyn Griebel lead the way with 13 kills in an offensive outpouring that resulted in a three-sets-to-one win over DuBois Central Catholic.

The varsity cross country teams swept their matches at Kane — each beating Kane and Brockway — and the junior high programs were undefeated on the day — boys' and girls cross country at Kane and the 7th- and 8th-grade girls' basketball programs at DuBois.

PUNXSUTAWNEY — The visiting Ridgway Elkers used a balanced offensive attack and four turnovers on defense (including two interceptions returned for a touchdown) to power their way past the Punxsy Chucks football team 61-6 on a beautiful Friday evening at Jack LaMarca Stadium's Jack Hart Field.

For the Chucks offense, Kam Falgout led the way with 13 rushes for 46 yards and the team's sole touchdown in addition to having a pair of receptions for 16 yards. Peyton Hetrick had four completions on 14 attempts for 39 yards and threw three interceptions, and Max London had one completion on a pitch pass for 19 yards in addition to 48 yards on 10 carries and one reception for five yards.

Brendan Heitzenrater was the leading receiver, hauling in two passes for 37 yards, with Alex Phillips also connecting with Landon Peterson for a one-yard pass late in the game. Others gaining ground in the rushing attack were Zeke Bennett (five carries for 12 yards), Jacob Bellerillo (four runs for nine yards), Colin Hoover (one rush for nine yards), Daniel Billick (one rush for five yards), Peterson (two carries for four yards) and Logan Jacoby (two attempts for three yards). Defensively, Josh Miller had Punxsy's sole solo tackle for a loss.

Punxsy returns to action next Friday with a long trip to Bradford to take on the winless Owls. "This was a disappointing outcome for us tonight; we just didn't make the necessary plays to be competitive tonight or to score points or to stop anybody on defense. Now, we have to turn the page to next week for a game at Bradford — a team that doesn't have any wins like ourselves. We have to show up Monday and take the steps necessary to make sure we don't leave there without one in the win column next week. We need to show the heart and determination to work and keep getting better. We have a lot of guys who, in a typical year, would probably be playing JV football, but they've been forced into action on Friday nights. They've been going through some growing pains, just like the team has, and hopefully next week, our guys are ready to step up and play at a high level."

**** FOR A FULL RECAP, PLUS PLENTY OF ACTION PHOTOS, SEE SATURDAY'S PRINT EDITION OF THE SPIRIT ****

Two Punxsy Chucks have advanced to the PIAA Western Regional tournament to be played at Tom's Run Golf Resort on Oct. 15. Six AA golfers advanced, and for the Chucks, Ryan Roberts placed third, and Zack VanLeer took fifth at the District 9 AA championships.

Roberts shot an 82 in Monday's first round and an 81 on Saturday for a total score of 163, and VanLeer had an 82 and an 83 in the two rounds for a 165. Punxsy's Sean Deeley also made the Round of 16, finishing with a total score of 188.

Hayden Seigel of Clarion-Limestone was the AA champion with rounds of 84 and 77 for a total of 161. Also advancing were Smethport's Connor Alfieri (162), Kane's Curt Barner (164) and Elk County Catholic's Wil Uberti.

In the AAA classification, Bradford's Spencer Cornelius finished with rounds of 77 and 81 for a total score of 158 and the D-9 championship. He and DuBois' Kaleb Hand (179) advanced to the Western Regionals as well.

It was a good day for the Punxsutawney girls’ golf team at the District 9 Championships, hosted by Pinecrest Country Club in Brookville, on Monday. Punxsy finished with the lowest score in the AA classification (306) to win the team title, and Brianna Hoover’s round of 89 was best by six shots in AA, making her the individual champion as well. Pictured here posing with their medals and team plaque are (from left) Lizzy Sikora, Hoover, Kierstin Riley, Maeve Hanley and Coach Brad Constantino.

A strong running game — fueled by an impressive performance by the offensive line — and a shutout effort by the defense powered the Punxsy junior high football team to a 28-0 victory over St. Marys on Thursday in Punxsutawney — the team's fourth win in as many tries this year.

Landon Martz had himself a day running out of the backfield, as he carried the ball 16 times and gained a total of 138 yards — and on top of that, three of those runs ended in touchdowns. Mason Nesbitt also ran the ball nine times for 38 yards, with Davin Iannacchione carrying three times for 14 yards, Noah Weaver adding 11 yards on one carry and Jack Rentko carrying three times for six yards. In the passing game, the Chucks had one big play, with Weaver connecting with Gage Gresock for a 34-yard touchdown pass.

Defensively, Gresock also created a turnover with an interception, and Nesbitt and Harry Yoder each had a tackle for loss. The Chucks also had one turnover on special teams, with Nesbitt forcing a fumble and Andrew Smith pouncing on it for a recovery.

At halftime of their game against Brockway on Wednesday in Punxsutawney, the Lady Chucks soccer program held a ceremony to honor its two senior members. Pictured here are the seniors with their family members who were on-hand for the ceremony. The seniors are Megan Sherry (left), the daughter of Rick and Deborah Sherry, and Madysen Ewing (right), the daughter of Scott Dobbins and Becky Petrini, For more from the game, see Spirit Sports on Page 6. (Photo by Zak Lantz/The Punxsutawney Spirit)

Three cheers for the red and white (and pink!). Pictured here are the members of the PAHS varsity squad cheering on the Chucks at Moniteau while showcasing their pink poms in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Moniteau Warriors earned a 45-21 victory over the Chucks. For a full recap, see Saturday's print edition. (Photo by Nick Labelle of The Spirit)

Pictured here are Punxsy boys' soccer players (from left) Garrett Eddy, Graham Lott, Vincent Gigliotti, Jaugar McDivitt (back) and Zach Reitz celebrating Punxsy's go-ahead goal in the second half of Punxsy's 4-1 District 9 AA semi-final win over Port Allegany. With the victory, the Chucks advance to the D-9 finals, where they'll meet Karns City. Gigliotti scored three goals, and Reitz added one. Lott had a big throw-in assist on the go-ahead goal, and keeper Jacob Ebel also came up with some big saves at key times for the Chucks.

On Friday, the Punxsy Chucks played their final football game of the year, hosting Redbank Valley — bringing the season for the football players, the cheerleaders and the marching band to an end. Redbank won the game 54-14. Pictured here are the cheerleaders celebrating a Punxsy touchdown, the band performing at halftime and the football team gathering in the end zone one last time after the game (bottom photo). For a full recap, see Saturday's print edition of The Spirit. (Photos by Zak Lantz/The Punxsutawney Spirit)

There were lots of numbers flying around on Saturday in Ridgway at the District 9 Cross Country Championships, and things couldn't have gone a whole lot better for Punxsutawney, as the boys' varsity team captured the team title — meaning all even runners plus one alternate will advance to this weekend's PIAA State Championships to be held in Hershey — and the girls' team had three individual runners qualify for States. Punxsy also saw one of its runners win each race in the AA classification, as Olivia Roberts crossed the finish line first in the girls' race, and Owen Bartlebaugh won the boys' race. (First photo) Pictured here are the members of the 2019 varsity boys' cross country team posing with their D-9 championship hardware inside the Francis S. Grandinetti Elementary School, where the race was held. They included (front row, from left) Emmet Jamieson, Corbin Heitzenrater, Bartlebaugh, Aiden McLaughlin, Andrew Wehrle, (back row) Samuel Rodgers, Evan Groce, Bryce Horne, Isaac Greenblatt, Andrew Barnoff and Eric Surkala. (Second photo) Pictured here posing with their medals are the girls’ state qualifiers: (from left) Amy Poole, Roberts and Olivia Bish.

The Lady Chucks volleyball team will open the District 9 AAA playoffs at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday when the team welcomes Bradford to Punxsutawney Area High School. The winner of Tuesday's match will meet DuBois on Saturday in St. Marys for the D-9 title.

On Wednesday evening, the skies opened up, and the rain came down, but nothing could rain on the Punxsy boys' soccer team's parade, as the Chucks won the District 9 AA championship and earned a berth at States with a 3-0 victory over the Karns City Gremlins. The team is pictured here doing the honorary pose in the very goal where they scored two first-half goals to open up a lead that would prove to be insurmountable.

Vincent Gigliotti scored Punxsy's first two goals in the first half — the first on a nice play and assist from Graham Lott and the second on a free kick from just outside the box — and Zach Reitz added an insurance goal, assisted by Gigliotti, in the second half to make it 3-0. Jacob Ebel and his defensive front did their part to keep the shutout intact.

Punxsy will play next in the PIAA Championships next week (site, time and team to be determined).

(First photo) Punxsy’s Owen Bartlebaugh (far left) and Aiden McLaughlin (far right) set the pace for the Chucks’ sixth-place finish at the PIAA State Cross Country Championships on Saturday — the school’s best team finish at the state meet since 1996. Also running for the Chucks in the big finish were Andrew Wehrle, Corbin Heitzenrater, Emmet Jamieson, Eric Surkala and Sam Rodgers. (Second photo) Olivia Roberts finished out her junior cross country season in impressive fashion on Saturday, earning a medal for her 15th-place finish at the PIAA Championships at the Parkview Course in Hershey, while Amy Poole and Olivia Bish ran extremely well at their first state cross country championships. For plenty more from the meet, grab a copy of Monday's print edition. (Photos submitted)