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Pottsgrove’s youth movement has program building back toward the postseason

Published

4 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Note: In the week ahead, the Mercury will finish its preview of all 12 Pioneer Athletic Conference girls basketball programs now that the 2025-26 season has arrived. Next up is Pottsgrove, which won nine games last year with the youngest roster in the league.

While Pottsgrove came up just short in its quest for a postseason berth last winter, the Falcons arguably overachieved more than any other program in the PAC.

The team led the league in minutes played for underclassmen, with 12 of its 15 players either freshmen or sophomores. The Falcons did have a pair of senior captains in Ava Leaman and Aleah Rockmore to lead the youth movement, but virtually everyone else was tossed into the deep end without a life preserver and told to sink or swim.

The Falcons mostly kicked their way to the surface, finishing the season with a 9-13 overall record, including a 7-3 mark against PAC Frontier opponents. Pottsgrove was a win or two away from making it to the league playoffs and finished the season as the 14th-ranked team in Class 5A, with the top 12 teams earning invites to the district tournament.

Now, with everybody back in the fold but Leaman and Rockmore, this iteration of the Falcons is optimistic the lessons learned from a year ago will translate into the program’s first winning season since the 2020-21 campaign.

“Last year they were very young but learned quickly,” head coach Matt Morton said. “This year having a year under our belt at the varsity level, I think they are that much more prepared to take on the teams in the PAC and around the district. It’s exciting to get them all back together to build upon what we started last year.”

The Falcons are off to a 1-2 start to the 2025-26 season, losing their opener at Marple Newtown before splitting a pair of games in last weekend’s Pottsgrove Tip-Off Tournament, beating Brandywine Heights by 22 and dropping a tight 2-point championship game to Upper Darby. Against Brandywine Heights, the Falcons grabbed 40-plus rebounds and forced 24 turnovers, so when things are firing on all cylinders, the team can score, play defense and box out.

The rotation includes a trio of talented forwards in 5-10 junior Vivian Kyler, 5-10 sophomore Kendra Ivory and 5-9 sophomore Layla Jelbaoui. Kyler produced a 12-point, 10-rebound effort against Brandywine Heights and Ivory grabbed double-digit boards twice in the season’s first three games.

In the backcourt, sophomore point guard Thelia Dellaquilla and sophomore shooting guard Nyla’h Stubbs have already proven to be capable two-way players, and freshman guard Joz’lyn Cillio scored eight points in the team’s lone win on Friday. Junior 5-8 wing Malak Ahmed and 5-9 freshman Emily Hendrzak have also received minutes in the season’s early going.

It’s an intriguing mix in a seemingly wide-open PAC, and with only one senior and four juniors on the current roster, this group has more time than most to build and continue on its upward trajectory.

“It was definitely a wake-up call,” Ivory said of being thrown into the fire a year ago. “It was not easy getting put out there against juniors and seniors who know the game and have played a lot more games, but I think we picked it up quickly. We had to step up, and I was very proud of my team and myself.”

“We stepped up and made the freshmen feel more comfortable so that they would play better,” added Kyler, a virtual elder statesman as a sophomore last season. “This year we want to focus on working hard, getting serious and making it to districts.”

Pope John Paul II and Upper Merion each finished ahead of Pottsgrove in the Frontier Division last season and both programs bring back multiple key pieces, while Pottstown and Upper Perkiomen are off to strong starts and both look much improved out of the gate. So, while emerging at the top of the pile will be anything but easy, Pottsgrove does have the pieces in place to claim a seat at the postseason table if the youthful roster continues developing at an ahead-of-schedule pace.

“Last year was mentally tough, but you just have to get through it,” Ahmed said. “Our experience was pretty good – we built culture, became closer, became a family. I hope to do that again with the rest of our younger girls and keep developing a good work ethic even when the days are hard.”

Morton thinks two of Pottsgrove’s biggest attributes are the team’s versatility and ability to play together. The Falcons have a good mix of size, shooting, ball handling, with the group’s individual strengths bringing out the best in the collective as a whole.

“They’re all very complementary players,” Morton said. “We work well together. When Kendra is playing well inside it makes it a little easier for the guards to get the ball up the court and easier to get our shooters going. When Viv is in there playing great defense, banging rebounds and putting the ball back in (the hoop), it tightens up the inside and opens up the outside.

“One of our strong suits is that we are very unselfish – sometimes too unselfish. We need to be a little more selfish in taking the ball and taking the shot.”

Even after a nine-win season that exceeded expectations a year ago, the Falcons still don’t feel as if the rest of the league takes them seriously enough. Who knows, maybe that means this group can sneak up on the rest of the PAC once more, this time with league and district playoff berths as the ultimate prize?

“Me and the team are very locked in and ready for the season,” Ivory said. “We are definitely still very young, so maybe a lot of people look down on Pottsgrove. One of our goals is to put the work in and prove everyone wrong. This year, I think we’re ready for that.”

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David Blitzer, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

Published

1 hour ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Influence 125 highlights the most influential sports business figures of the past quarter-century. See the list.

David Blitzer, a longtime Blackstone executive, ranks among the sports industry’s most prolific investors. He joined Josh Harris in launching Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment in 2017. That firm houses their ownership of the New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia 76ers and Crystal Palace F.C., among other assets, and has been a blueprint for sports-focused holding companies that followed. Individually, Blitzer touches two more sports through minority investments in the Cleveland Guardians and Washington Commanders; he has a path to control of the former. He’s bet on emerging leagues, such as League One Volleyball and TGL, and is increasingly powerful at the grassroots level: Blitzer and Harris are the lead investors behind youth sports roll-up Unrivaled Sports.

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Mechanic horrified after finding ‘ridiculous’ item lodged in tire: ‘I was floored’

Published

1 hour ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Disposable vapes are a health hazard in more ways than one.

There’s nothing worse than an unexpected visit to the mechanic, especially if someone else caused the damage to your car. A Reddit post on the r/Justrolledintotheshop subreddit showed the damage that litter can do to your vehicle.

One mechanic revealed how a single discarded disposable vape caused hundreds of dollars in damage to a car tire. — Photo Credit: Reddit

The photo shows a mangled disposable vape that had become wedged in a tire. “Don’t toss your vape out of the window,” the poster remarked.

It’s not just cars and bikes that are the victims of discarded single-use vapes; the smoking devices are made of lithium-ion batteries, which can explode or catch fire if not discarded safely.

With half a million vapes thrown out in America every day, the risk for unsafe disposal is high. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group estimated that fires caused by disposable vapes in waste facilities cost at least $95 million each year.

Sadly, finding brightly colored disposable vapes scattered around beauty spots is becoming incredibly common. They are a massive eyesore and can also present a choking hazard to pets and local wildlife.

This litter is particularly damaging because it contains plastic, nicotine, and lithium-ion batteries. Harmful chemicals and microplastics that have shed from these devices leach into water supplies and find their way into our food and beverages.

That’s not even to mention the damage that vapes can do to your health. Though touted as a healthier option to smoking, vapes still contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, carcinogenic, and can harm brain development in young people.

If you are a vaper, try to opt for reusable options to cut down on plastic waste, and make sure to recycle any vapes properly.

“I saw one of these in the bucket at my mechanic shop just a couple weeks ago,” another Reddit user commented on the post. “I was floored that one could do that.”

“The vapes that can’t be refilled should be banned, it’s ridiculous,” someone else added.

One person retorted: “Anything ‘disposable’ should be banned.”

Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD’s exclusive Rewards Club.

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Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier to be arraigned in New York court over sports betting scheme

Published

1 hour ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NEW YORK (AP) — Miami Heat player Terry Rozier is set to appear in a New York court on charges he helped gamblers placing bets on his performance in NBA games.

The 31-year-old point guard will be formally arraigned in Brooklyn federal court late Monday on federal wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges. He’ll also join five other co-defendants and their lawyers for a pre-trial hearing later in the day on the case.

Rozier previously appeared before a federal judge in Orlando on Oct. 23, when prosecutors first announced the indictment.

At the time, he was released with conditions. One of his lawyers, Jim Trusty, denied the charges, saying the Ohio native was “not a gambler” and “looks forward to winning this fight.”

Prosecutors say Rozier conspired with friends to help them win bets on his performance in a March 2023 game when he played for the Charlotte Hornets.

They say he informed the bettors that he intended to leave the game against the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, allowing gamblers to place wagers earning them tens of thousands of dollars.

Rozier played the first nine minutes and 36 seconds of the game before leaving, citing a foot issue. He did not play again that season.

More than 30 people have been arrested in connection with the sprawling federal takedown of illegal gambling operations linked to professional sports, including several Mafia figures.

Rozier was one of three current or former NBA players ensnared in the investigation.

Portland Trail Blazers coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups was among a number charged with participating in a scheme to fix high-stakes, Mafia-backed illegal poker games.

Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones has also been charged in that poker scheme, as well as the separate scheme to help gamblers win bets on NBA games that also implicated Rozier.

Billups and Jones pleaded not guilty during their separate arraignments last month. Both Billups and Rozier have been placed on unpaid leave from their team as their court cases play out.

Rozier has earned about $160 million over a 10-year NBA career.

He had been a first round pick for the Boston Celtics in 2015 after starring at the University of Louisville. Charlotte traded him to the Heat last year.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo

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Freshmen getting it done for Central Bucks South | Sports

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1 hour ago

December 8, 2025

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Honor surprises coach, Santa, veteran, mentor

Published

2 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Bill Tyler thought he’d been invited to a dinner honoring Jimmy Bogue for Bogue’s contributions to youth sports.

However, Tyler was surprised to learn the honor was really for one of Bogue’s mentors: Tyler himself.

The December surprise was extra appropriate for the Cambridge City resident who portrayed Santa Claus for 40 years at community and private events and at stores that included Richmond’s mall.

The recognition took place during the annual Citizen of the Year dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at Golay Community Center in Cambridge City.

New Day Kiwanis President Nathan Ulerick, a 2019 winner, and 2024 winner Brad Bowman presented a plaque and gift basket to Tyler. The last seven Citizen of the Year recipients currently living in the community select the honoree.

Cambridge City Evening Kiwanis started the award in 1961 to recognize a western Wayne County resident who makes a long-range impact on the community.

Trina Fultz congratulates Bill Tyler after he received Cambridge City’s Citizen of the Year award during a Dec. 9 dinner at Golay Community Center. Photo by Millicent Martin Emery

Tyler’s influence can be felt locally, statewide and nationally. His military service was followed by 31 years as a disabled veterans specialist with Indiana Department of Workforce Development. He served hundreds, possibly thousands, of veterans across the state at offices in communities including Richmond, Connersville, Winchester, Muncie and Portland.

Tyler then worked a few years as a substitute teacher for Western Wayne Schools before fully retiring, but he has influenced countless youth as a coach.

Several of Tyler’s former athletes attended the dinner, sharing the impact that he made on their lives during his decades of developing young players.

“I appreciate the community and all the support over the years,” Tyler said.

Tyler, a Michigan native, lived in Cambridge City in the 1950s as well as Wayne and Dearborn, Michigan, during his youth. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army before returning to civilian life in Dearborn, but enlisted in the Navy in 1966 and became a Seabee.

When he and his family moved to Milton in October 1974 after his honorable discharge from the Navy, Tyler brought a great deal of athletics experience. He was a standout four-sport high school athlete and traveled the world as a softball pitcher during his eight years in the Navy.

Tyler’s Navy career included three tours in Vietnam during the war as well as time in Morocco, Maryland, Guam and Rhode Island.

In 1975, Tyler responded to a knock on the door from a Milton group asking him to coach. That led to coaching football, basketball, wrestling and softball for junior high and high school students at Lincoln, Hagerstown, Tri, Richmond and Northeastern.

Tyler helped develop what became Western Wayne Girls Softball League. He served as league president and coached hundreds of young ladies in league play as well as travel ball, teaching life lessons in winning, sportsmanship and grit. Tyler and friends also helped bring fast-pitch softball to Lincoln.

He also served as a pitching coach at Earlham College for several seasons. He’s currently a coaching volunteer at Tri, where he helped the Titans win regional and semi-state championships and a trip to the state finals.

Angie Siggers said she’s known Tyler since childhood, remembering him as Santa as well as a great person who’s always willing to help.

“He’s always been a part of our family,” Siggers said. “He’s a very special part of our lives … You couldn’t find a better man than him.”

Former softball player Trina Fultz said Tyler has remained a supportive friend, and he was one of the first people to visit her and her new baby when they came home from the hospital.

“He always wants to know what’s going on in your life,” Fultz said.

In retirement, Tyler enjoys spending time with his wife, Diane, their children Cheryl and Kevin, granddaughter, Kinsey, and great-grandson, Grayson.

Tyler’s contributions also were recognized in 2023 when he was named grand marshal of Cambridge City’s Canal Days parade. He was Milton’s 2017 Citizen of the Year.

A version of this article
will appear in the December 10 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.

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Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, WME-IMG/Endeavor

Published

2 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Influence 125 highlights the most influential sports business figures of the past quarter-century. See the list.

The 2014 acquisition of IMG Worldwide for $2.4 billion enabled Hollywood super agents Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell to form WME-IMG and, ultimately, turn it into the wide-reaching and influential Endeavor empire. Their acquisition of UFC for $4 billion is one of the industry’s greatest success stories, and at its height, Endeavor had tendrils in everything from athlete representation and event management to youth sports and professional bull riding. Today, Emanuel is executive chair of a leaner WME Group, and at TKO he sits atop the $39 billion parent of UFC and WWE. A newly independent Whitesell acquired WME Football to form player representation agency WIN Sports Group, and he’s separately backed the red-hot Omaha Productions through a new Silver Lake-funded venture.