First Posted: 7/5/2013

JULY 13, 2003

The Wyoming Area Ice Hockey Club and its alumni association played a game at the Ice Box to cap the hockey season. A team of former players and coaches squared off against the 2000-2003 varsity team in an inaugural event. After the game, an awards presentation was held at the Moose Lodge in West Pittston. Mike Przybyla, Sean Hite and Chris Yaworski were the first inductees into the Wyoming Area Hockey Hall of Fame. Hite and Yawroski received an award for most career assists and goals.

JULY 11, 1993

Related Video

Pat Ratchford was named the Dispatch/Cooper’s Athlete of the Month for June. Ratchford lifted the locals with a 5-0 record on the mound to put Greater Pittston in a tie atop the district. Also, in June, Ratchford hit .333 with nine RBIs, 12 runs scored and only had two strikeouts in 40 at-bats. On the mound, Ratchford’s 5-0 record came with a 2.59 ERA in 38 innings of work while striking out 31. Ratchford, a week earlier, signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Wilkes University. He was a 1,000-point scorer at Pittston Area. He was first team all-scholastic in the previous season.

JULY 17, 1983

Duane Armitage, of Curry Street in Pittston, aced the No. 9 298-yard par 4 at Pine Hills Country Club in Taylor. The veteran golfer of 20 years finished the round with an even par 70. Witnessing the extra-special hole-in-one was Gene Boyko, of Old Forge, and Tom Swartz and Bob Metallo, both of Wilkes-Barre.

JULY 15, 1973

Record-setting halfback Jimmy Cefalo was named an All-American for the upcoming football season by “Kick-off Magazine.” The article lists Cefalo as the halfback on the third team squad, thus crediting the Pittston Area runningback the third best in the entire country. Cefalo was one of only two gridders from Pennsylvania on the top three squads – the other was Carmen Frangiosa, a 215-pound interior lineman from Plymouth-Whitemarsh. One thing that was interesting was Cefalo was named All-American, but the year before he wasn’t even named All-State team. Coach Bob Barbieri said, “This is the biggest thing that has ever happened in the history of athletics at Pittston Area.”

JULY 14, 1963

Joe Sobeski was retained during the week as head football coach at Pittston Area to put an end to some scattered reports that the city gridders were to have a new coach in the upcoming season. An assistant coach from Old Forge was also in consideration for the job. Pittston had one of the smallest teams in years, but played an exciting brand of football. The team had a good following all season long despite a 2-6 record in 1962. Sobeski was retained for his 11th season. He took over for Cy Gallagher in 1953 and had a 6-4 record.