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Shanksville Boys Basketball Complete Stellar Season
- from Hunter Muro
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- Shanksville-Stonycreek High School
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- 1943 views
The 2016-2017 Shanksville boys basketball team had an outstanding season by being able to claim a WestPAC title and earn a District 5 Championship.
The seniors of the varsity boys basketball team have been playing together since elementary school, and it showed the entire season as they rolled to a record of 25-2.
The head coach of the Vikings is the long tenured Mr. Robert Snyder. The varsity boys team was guided by the six experienced seniors, Jesse Bittner, Will Brant, Aaron Smith, Danny Westerfield, Ryan Caton, and T.J. Coughenour. The sophomores were Dawson Snyder, Gabe Manthey, Matt Addleman, and Hunter Younkin. The freshman on the crew included Cy Brant, Josh Westerfield, and C.J. Salsgiver.
The Viking’s only loss through their first 26 contests came at the hands of 6A opponent Bethel Park in the championship game of the Somerset Pine Grill Tournament. Other than that minor scratch on their resume, Shanksville racked up wins against everyone else they faced including conference rivals Berlin and Shade. Every team member has played a role in the accomplishments that the Vikings had this season.
Will Brant expressed his satisfaction by stating, “Winning WestPAC was one of our goals coming into the season, we were able to accomplish that, we really just tried to improve our game and really focus in district and state playoffs. I’m extremely proud of our team and the way we competed till the end.”
On February 17, the Vikings snatched a third WestPAC title defeating Ferndale 44-36. Following that, they advanced through the district playoffs getting a bye in the first round, then defeating the number four seed Shade. Finally on March 3, they bested the number two seeded Southern Fulton by a score of 41-38 at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown for the District 5A Title.
In the first round of the PIAA State Playoffs, the Vikings squared up with Union Area, the District 7 three seed. They defeated the Scotties by a score 58-54.
After that, Shanksville faced Monessen High School, the top seed in District 7. The Monessen Greyhounds proved to be too much for the Vikings, as they fell by a score of 71-56 ending their magical season.
The Vikings came from behind in several contests this past season and were able to celebrate two major wins in the form of a WestPAC conference title, and a District Title. Despite all of the seniors who will not be around next year, the Vikings still have many capable playmakers left on the roster including varsity contributors, Dawson Snyder and Matt Addleman. They will need the assistance of players like Hunter Younkin, Gabe Manthey, and Cy Brant to reach the same goals next season.