Rockets are about to tip-off at home tonight. Our story from the weekend tip off tournaments for the News-Journal is below. Since our deadline Isiah Colon exploded for a monster game scoring 38 points in the Rocket route of Youngville 70-48. TNJ 12/8/2023 Last weekend the Titusville Rocket boys won their first game of the season in the Roy Sanner Tip off Tournament at Rocky Grove High School. Despite struggling to get his jumpers to drop, the usually deadly outside shooter Isiah Colon still managed to score 41 points on the weekend, through aggressive defensive steals leading to lay ups, putting back up rebounds in the paint and dropping free throws. In first game Colon, had he been on, would’ve destroyed Cranberry, but as a result they found themselves in a battle late. Solid fourth quarter play by Cameron Kerr with two big buckets when the Rockets needed them most, a steal and a couple big rebounds kept them in the game as Cranberry rallied to take the lead. Then, as the legend says “shooters shoot,” Colon drained a big three pointer with about a minute left to give them a little breathing room and take the wind out of the Berries sails. Colin Wagner had a solid end scoring on a jumper and two key free throws in the last minute. He finished with eight.Hudson Fratus added five, Devon Kurschinske had four and Brett Schmidt drained a couple free throws in the win. The hard fought win propelled them into the championship game against host Rocky Grove who dismantled Maplewood 62-32 behind Noah Baughman’s game high twenty-five. Colon’s shooting woes continued in the championship game. The shooter just couldn’t get his threes to drop in the first half. But again he hit a couple late that brought the Rockets close to the Orioles. But was ultimately not enough and they lost the championship game 45-41. Wagner again had a solid outing adding 11. Fratus and Kurschinske combined for another ten. They started out strong building a 9-2 lead. But the well balanced Orioles battled back to lead 13-11 after the first quarter. The Rockets took the lead back briefly after a big Colon three-pointer in the third quarter put them up 27-26. But they’d never see the lead again, though they got down by seven at one point they kept the Orioles in sight the rest of the way coming to within one with a little over a minute to play. But Rocky Grove build the lead to seven before Wagner’s last second three found the net. The Rockets were slated to play Youngville last Wednesday and Girard on Friday. They finish the calendar year on the road against Sheffield on Tuesday and Eisenhower on Thursday. The following week they visit General McLane on December 18 and Union City on the 20th. If Colon gets his shooting touch back or if the Rockets move the ball better to get more players involved they should be in for a decent season. |
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Photo courtesy of Tim Walters/TMK Pro Wrestling Photography This photograph, posted Tuesday night garnered a fair amount of reaction on social media. The image was made at a pro wrestling venue in Erie last week in an effort to garner attention to the return of Titusville’s Luscious Rocky Reynolds(aka Aaron Madden) to the performance arena. The image depicts Madden’s daughter being struck as a build up to Madden’s return to the ring. She was not harmed. There is a bit of a buzz around Titusville’s Luscious Rocky Reynolds, the retired professional wrestler who is now fighting crime as a Titusville police lieutenant.
“Rocky” is Titusville area resident Aaron Madden. He left the pro wrestling ring around seven years ago, but he still loves the sport's entertainment franchise and the many people still involved, some of whom he has trained. He has been asked many times to return to the ring but is reluctant in his 40-plus year old body. Madden said over a year ago he’d consider a return only if the storyline was right. Pro wrestling is built on good storylines and Madden is well aware of its importance from his time entertaining fans since the early 2000s. For a year now, Madden and Revenge Wrestling in Erie have been building this plot. Madden has been attending Revenge Wrestling events in Erie allowing one of the key bad guys of the sport, Derek Dillinger, to actively engage him in his ringside seat, taunting the aged wrestler any chance he got. But Madden has been steadfast in his refusing to allow Dillinger to get under his skin. "I'm not interested," Madden would tell him and the crowd. “Derek Dillinger has been repeatedly trying to provoke me to wrestle a match against him,” Madden said in a social media post Tuesday night. “I’ve never shared a locker room with this guy, never had a cross word with him. Hell, I don't even think that he was even wrestling when I walked away from the business. But for some reason, he has a major problem with me.” His social media post came after last week when he took his teenage daughters to a Revenge event in Erie. Dillinger came out of the ring to confront Madden, who stood sandwiched between his two daughters Aarolynn and Addyson. In front of the Erie Sports Center crowd, Madden insisted he wasn’t interested in returning to the ring despite Dillinger’s taunts. Tim Walters of TMK Pro Wrestling Photography was right there taking photos. Suddenly Dillinger, to the surprise of the crowd, took a swat at Madden’s daughter Aarolynn appearing to connect with the side of her neck and cheek. “I've been doing this a long time and I've never heard a gasp that loud from a wrestling crowd,” said Walters. “People were legit pissed.” The scene, though rehearsed (Madden’s daughter was not assaulted or hurt,) has now set the stage for Rocky's comeback. Revenge Wrestling, Madden and Dillinger have their story line and the people who love a solid “good vs. bad” story are in for a treat. When Madden took to social media Tuesday it was to say that, though he wasn’t interested in coming back… no one touches his baby girl. This dad would not stand by and do nothing. “THE RUMORS ARE TRUE,” he started.”Even though I'm almost 46 years old and long retired from professional wrestling, I truly believed that nothing could make me step back into the ring…. But… he crossed lines that he can't ever step back from. Derek, you wanted my attention. You wanted to piss me off. Just know and understand that I am humble enough to not be provoked by your insults towards me. BUT AS A FATHER..., the moment you laid hands on my daughter was the moment you were granted everything that you have been asking for. Just remember you asked for everything that's going to happen to you.” And his post erupted. Wrestling fans seem to love it. It is a story of a father stepping up to protect his family. Dozens of respondents got online to support Madden and get behind him 100% for the actions of Dillinger against Madden's young daughter. Madden, knowing he is a police officer often having to deal first hand with violence, saw the comments coming in and decided to take the post down because ”it was generating a ton of heat and I wanted to cool it down a bit.” Madden emphasized that his daughter was not harmed and that it was part of a story to get people excited to root for a side within the entertainment world of professional wrestling. Part of the "entertainment" is the buy-in, Madden acknowledged. He, as a fan, and other fans understand the storylines are somewhat scripted, but what happens inside the ring is still a very physically demanding and dangerous endeavor. Those that love the genre love that it is athleticism meets Hollywood. That’s why, at 45 years old, if Madden was going to put his body on the line, it had to be for the right storyline and timeline to get physically prepared. “One landing gone wrong and it’s right back in it,” he said of his concerns and recent back problems. “I will make sure I’m in my best shape.” Madden has started training with a high protein, low carb diet and working out every day. “I don’t want to go out there and embarrass myself,” he said. “I hate it when guys like Rick Flair stay too long. So, I’ll be looking my best for this return.” As for the storyline, what father of young girls can't relate? Madden, or rather Luscious Rocky Reynolds will officially return on February 10 at the Erie Sports Center. Doors open at 6 p.m. and wrestling will start at 7 p.m. The Titusville girls swim team was pretty darn good last year. They finished second in the region for the second year in a row and only graduated one senior. Albeit, that senior was a big deal to the team. Coach Seth Come said a few other key swimmers also chose not to come out this year but he is still optimistic the team could win the region title.
“Expectations for the girls team are very high this year,” Come said. “We hope to be a top 5 team if not better when we get to the district championship meet.” One team goal he sees as the carrot dangled out in front is the 43 year old 400 Freestyle Relay that the team was only 1.25 seconds off last year. “That one is also special to me,” said Come. “Because my old coach, Judy Lesko, was on that relay team in 1981. Come knows the competition is tough in the area and keeps his expectations in check, while pushing his team to improve. “Individually some of the girls are hoping to improve their times enough to qualify for the State Championship meet,” he said. “That might be a tall order, but I would be really excited to get girls to states for the first time in 12 years.” In the region are perennial powerhouses Franklin, Oil City and Slippery Rock. “Slippery Rock has some strong swimmers back, but graduated 5 key pieces to their team. And Oil City’s YMCA program has been doing a tremendous job feeding into their high school program,” Come said. He also credited Warren’s program in the district as a tough early season challenge though not a regional matchup.”I expect that one to come down to the wire and am very excited about that dual meet,” Come said. He said losing Emma Slocum to graduation is tough on leadership, but is hoping some of his other talented swimmers will step up. Perhaps the biggest news coming from the pool is the school is bringing back diving for the first time in 15 years. “Coach Mike Allison was hired this fall to fill the position that hasn’t been filled since Gary Clark was here back in 2009(2010 season), Come explained. “Coach Alison got a chance to volunteer last year and allowed a few girls who were interested the opportunity to compete in a shortened season. This year we will be diving every home meet and each diver will have the opportunity to participate in two invitationals. We have one boy and three girls, all seniors, out for diving this season. We are hoping to generate buzz about the event so we can sustain the program for the future.”
Keep up to date on changes at www.titusvilleathletics.org
The Titusville Mill may be off the beaten path and tucked back out of the way, but this Thanksgiving, it could be the heart of your community while it serves up its seventh annual holiday dinner. It is free to the public. They will be serving meals from 2-5 p.m. on November 26 at 221 South Monroe Street. Takeout orders can be placed by contacting Sarah Muir at samuir@live.com Last year they served over 100 takeout meals and nearly as many in the restaurant itself. Joe Thompson, one of the owners of The Mill with Aaron Armstrong, said that people deserve to be treated with dignity and be allowed to come inside for a nice, comfortable meal. Last year he said the takeouts were great, and they are offering those again, but he wants to be sure people know there is also a place they can go to share a nice meal on Thanksgiving. They are accepting donations from the public to help provide the meals. Money can be donated through Venmo @themillthanksgivingdonation. Checks or cash can be dropped off at the restaurant or mailed to 221 South Monroe St. Titusville, Pa. 16354.
Below are some more photos from the match
“I would like to thank our supporters. We could not have had a successful season without your presence. Thank you for coming to our games, cheering us on, and helping us to make this season one to remember,” said coach Mike Reynolds after learning the Rockets were not awarded a playoff bid by the District 10 committee. Titusville enjoyed their best season since 2016 with six wins. Unfortunately their 6-4 record meant that their playoff fate would be decided by a bunch of old folks in suits and not on the field. On Sunday the D10 decided. The Rockets are out. Friday they knew they had to win to put themselves in the discussion. And they did with a tough win over Corry 28 - 21. The problem is there are three other teams on the bubble and Fort LeBoeuf, General McLane and Fairview also won their final games and that left the Rockets, whose six wins all came against teams with losing records, now having to clean out their lockers at Carter Field and the athletes shifting gears to their winter sports. “We had opportunities early on (in the year,)” Reynolds said. “Defensively speaking against Sharpsville, we had structural issues we needed to fix. Had those happened preseason, we win that game.” Reynolds, after every loss this season, blamed himself and the coaching staff for not having the kids prepared enough. “Additionally during the LeBoeuf game we were rolling early on, committed a turnover and made a bad decision on a fourth and one that led to a score… Once again, we protect the ball and we win that game. This was still a learning year for both our kids and staff.” Covell finished the year with 23 touchdowns and over 2,000 all-purpose yards. The prolific running back ran for 1,353 yards and also caught 27 passes for 541 yards. He is 16 yards away from 3,500 all-purpose yards in his career. Mong had 733 all-purpose yards on the season. He also led the team with eight sacks
McDonald had 1,041 yards passing and 12 touchdowns and added another 325 on the ground. He was also a solid defender with 37 tackles and three interceptions. JJ Miller led the team with 91 tackles. Senior Nate Stearns had 73 with Brett Schmidt close by with 71. “I want to... thank all of our athletes, families, and supporters. We had a great season, and I am proud of all that our team accomplished,” Reynolds said. He added a thank you to his seniors for their leadership and dedication. For the underclassmen he hopes to improve on what they are built already and has already come up with the team mantra for next season - “#LeaveNoDoubt24” Titusville's first winning season since 2016 has them on the bubble, with three other teams, for the last three spots of the District 10 class 3A playoff bracket. One team is going to be left out. One community is going to feel slighted by a group of suits sitting around on a conference call deciding who is worthy of a shot at the district crown and therefor has the potential for a cinderella trip to Hershey. They went into week nine against Oil City knowing if they could knock out the Oilers they would have a legitimate seat at the table. They couldn't pull that off making the final week of the season a must win against the 3-6 Corry Beavers. They needed to win with enough gusto to make the district executives take notice. They won 28-21. The Rockets know it isn't the best scenario to have a decision made in an office and not on the field. So how do they make their case? "We have relentlessly scored points throughout the season, we have an affective offense, our defense has gotten significantly better since the (second week of the season) at Sharpesville. We're one of the top eight teams in District 10," said coach Mike Reynolds just after winning their sixth game of the season. "At this point, we told the kids, 'you can only control the things you can control.' We knew it was going to be a battle to the end of the game. They execute well, they throw well that's a real good quarterback and they have a couple real good receivers." He said Corry beat Leboeuf last week so they were not a push over "We did what we do running the football and you saw, there were times where maybe we were getting a yard or two, but all of a sudden a big play would come and at the end they just kept the peddle to the metal and just jammed it down their throat to finish off well," Reynolds said. "The defense played big tonight." District 10 has their hands full. The Rockets are 6-4, but they did not beat a team with a winning record. They scored 330 points in 10 games this season. That has to mean something. Fairview is 6-4 as well with big a win over North East last week and crushing Northwestern in the finale. They did lose big to General McLane in week eight 42-7. McLane is also 6-4 and have scored over 40 points in each of their last three games against Fairview, Girard and winless Warren. They did lose to Leboeuf, but it was in week two 38-28. They scored 326 points in ten games. Leboeuf is 7-3 , but were upset by Corry last week. They rebounded to win their last game convincingly over Sharpesville. They also won a barn burner overtime game against Fairview In week four. So the D10 folks have a real mess to figure out. Against Corry Jaxon Covell had in the neighborhood of 200 yards rushing. Kameron Mong had a huge game rushing for 120 yards and added another 17 in receiving. Mong also had a huge punt on a bad snap that pinned Corry deep in fourth. Mong and McDonald had touchdowns as well as two by Covell. "Communication was big tonight, the kids told us something was open and we listened and adjusted to what the kids were telling us. I'm so proud of these kids," Reynolds said. "Now it is up to the D10 committee to decide who goes where."
The boys, like the girls, started hot, but struggled to find the net as the season wore on.
“Our season was hot and cold. We started the season on fire by winning three of our first four and our loss was in overtime,” said coach Joey Timon. “The next two games were double overtime ties. At this point Aidan Stover was leading all of our region, and I think D10, in goals scored in the season.” But then things got a bit cold for the Rockets. Stover couldn’t find the net and their opponents were just strong. They had a seven game stretch they just couldn’t match up and few goals to the positive. “We had a young team with a strong group of seniors. Although our number of players were down (17), we have a bright future with possibly a larger freshmen class entering next fall,” Timon said. He pointed out the strengths of the team this year. Senior Colin Wagner was a leader and a playmaker. “He hustled and played almost the entirety of all of the games he was in,” Timon said. Keeper Joe Herman's voice could be heard all the way to Taco Bell during Rocket home games. Timon praised his junior, “Absolutely amazing as a keeper and is a special athlete and teammate. He leads from the net with his voice, play, and never-ending hustle. He had 4 shutouts this year.” Timon said Jake Hauptman was an incredible defenseman. “He locked it down back there and seemed to be everywhere when the opposing team's attacked. He prevented goals, cleared the ball, slide tackled for 50/50 balls, and always hustled.” The Rocket’s season came to an end, but they didn’t go quietly without leaving their mark and making other teams take notice. |
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April 2024
CategoriesAuthorEight & 27 focuses on stories centered around Titusville, PA. With the sad end of The Titusville Herald, we're hoping to pick up the slack. |