Tim Joyner headlines Kiski Area Sports Hall of Fame class

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, June 26, 2018 | 6:33 PM

Kiski Area quarterback Tim Joyner was in on one of the most exciting plays in Kiski Area football history Nov. 22, 1986.

It wasn't enough to win a WPIAL title, but Joyner will be one of 10 inductees this year at the 13th annual Kiski Area Sports Hall of Fame banquet at 6 p.m. Sept. 1 at the Greek Social Hall in Oakmont.

Mt. Pleasant had a 14-7 lead over the Cavaliers in the WPIAL Class AAA title game at Three Rivers Stadium. With time running out, Joyner fired a 31-yard touchdown pass to Dean Yanacci. Kiski Area came up short on the two-point conversion try for the win, but Joyner's leadership skills toward the championship game run and his baseball prowess — playing four positions one season — will be recognized at this year's event.

Here are the other inductees, with their graduation years in parentheses:

• Mark Bartoe (1977): After earning letters in football, basketball and baseball, Bartoe received a football scholarship to Marshall, where he lettered three times.

• Ashley Cochran (2002): A WPIAL champion in the long jump, Cochran lettered seven times in basketball and track. She was a member of Kiski Area's 23-1 basketball team in 2001 and competed in track at Duquesne.

• Sharon Foley (1992): A letter-winner in basketball and track, Foley was selected to play in the 1992 Roundball Classic and was team MVP. She later was awarded a basketball scholarship to Youngstown State.

• Jennifer Carroll Moody (1992): During her time at Kiski Area, Carroll Moody earned four letters in basketball and softball. But football was her passion as she played for the Pittsburgh Passion and later was founder and owner of the Tampa Bay Inferno women's football team.

• Walter Poleski (1965): A posthumous inductee, Poleski was a member of the school's first undefeated football team in 1964 and later played at South Carolina and IUP.

• Phil Schaeffer (1977): A member of Kiski Area's 1975 Foothills Conference champion, Schaeffer earned letters in football, basketball and baseball. He later played baseball at Slippery Rock.

• Chuck Tursky — Serving as Kiski Area wrestling coach from 1979-2015, Tursky won more than 500 dual matches and guided two WPIAL team titles and two PIAA runners-up. He was WPIAL Coach of the Year twice and PIAA Coach of the Year once. Tursky is a member of the WPIAL, PIAA, Alle-Kiski Valley, Slippery Rock and National Wrestling halls of fame. Tursky's teams won 102 consecutive matches from 1993-2006.

• The 2003 Cavaliers wrestling team, the state runner-up, also will be honored.

• The Community Service Award will go, posthumously, to Rocco Flaminio. A fixture for many seasons at Davis Field, Flaminio was Kiski Area's go-to guy on game nights when the scoreboard or lighting system malfunctioned. He also did considerable electric and maintenance work at the high school campus.

Banquet tickets can be obtained by contacting Anthony Nicholas as 724-727-2527.

Felack on the final

Congratulations to retired Valley News Dispatch chief photographer Eric Felack, who was assigned home plate umpiring duties at the PIAA Class 3A softball final between Phillipsburg-Osceola and Wilkes-Barre Holy Redeemer.

Also on the crew was Saxonburg's Alvin Bowser, who worked first base.

The game was played at Penn State's Beard Field, in the shadow of Beaver Stadium, where Felack was once drum major for the Penn State Blue Band.

Holy Redemmer won its third PIAA title in the last four seasons, 8-3.

George Guido is a Valley News Dispatch scholastic sports correspondent. His column appears Wednesdays.