(EDITOR’S NOTE: Rod Heckman has been a member of the Times News Sports Department since September 1988. In the next few weeks, he will be sharing some of his most memorable moments for each of our 10 area schools. Today’s edition features Marian).

By Rod Heckman

rheckman@tnonline.com

Marian has had a long and well-documented history of successful sports teams and athletes.

But growing up in Northampton, and living most of my adult life in Carbon County, I haven’t been able to witness most of the school’s championships or star players.

Many of my colleagues were either from Schuylkill County or had ties to the school, therefore my opportunities to cover their events were limited.

But in 30-plus years, a person such as myself is still bound to see some unforgettable events involving either the Colts or Fillies.

In my ongoing series chronicling my most memorable moments for each area school, today’s edition features Marian.

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The Makovec and Ryan brothers, young Stan Dakosty, “Chuck” Andrew, Joe Horvat and recently Tyler Fritz are some of the best athletes to come from the Hometown school. And fortunately, I was able to see them perform on the field or court.

Others - like Mark Coassolo, Danny Berlitz, and Joe Nahas - are ones I never saw compete.

The list of accomplished male athletes from Marian is definitely lengthy, but my most memorable moments feature none of them. Covering the 1995 Colts basketball team that won the program’s first-ever district title just misses my list.

My top two involve arguably the best female athletes to come from Marian over the past 30 years.

March 19, 1997

Fillies rally to reach state title game

Current sports editor Emmett McCall and myself traveled to the Geigle Complex in Reading to double-staff Marian’s state semifinal game against Columbia.

Little did we know we were about to witness one of the most memorable games in our journalistic careers.

Erin Brady’s coast-to-coast layup with nine seconds left in overtime snapped a tie with Columbia and lifted the Fillies into the state championship game.

And while Brady’s mad dash is the singular moment that stands out, the circumstances surrounding the sophomore’s heroics make it all the more exciting.

Paul Brutto’s club trailed its District 3 opponent by 15 points at halftime, and then by 17 after its star player, Marjie Rhoads, hit the first basket of the second half. But five points from Brianne Homyak, and four from Brady in the third quarter, cut the gap to single digits.

Brady tallied six points in the fourth, while Homyak drained a three-pointer and a putback to miraculously tie the contest and send the game into overtime. Homyak, however, fouled out late in regulation. At the time, I remember thinking how cruel that was - to rally from that huge of a deficit only to have one of your best players foul out and probably lose in OT. Our photographer at the time, Bill Garber, captured an image of Homyak in tears after fouling out.

It tursn out the photo never had to run.

Marian grabbed a lead in the extra frame, but a three-pointer from Columbia with 19 seconds left tied the game once more. But Brady took the inbounds and went end-to-end, weaving between defenders, to put the Fillies ahead. With two seconds to play, she then knocked the ball loose while playing defense to preserve the victory.

To this day, it’s probably my most memorable basketball moment while working for the Times News.

March 15, 2008

Shickora wins gold; sets state record

The second day of the state swim meet in 2008 happened to be the same day the Marian’s girls basketball team was playing in State College for a state title.

Our sports department sent three writers to cover that game. I wasn’t one of them.

With the bulk of our staff at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center, I ended up traveling to Bucknell University for the swimming championships. While some writers I know aren’t exactly keen on covering swimming, I wasn’t one of them. As a student worker at IUP, I traveled with the swim team to report scores and write stories.

While the Fillies cage team went on to claim a PIAA championship, Marian’s Kristen Shickora was about to make history herself.

The senior, who was no stranger to state gold medals and breaking records, turned in one of her best efforts in her final race. Shickora blazed to a 53.88 finish in the 100 backstroke to easily take first and shatter the state record (55.30) - which she had set a year earlier. The time also broke the Bucknell University pool record.

Not only was Shickora’s race memorable, but I’ll always remember the story she told me afterward.

On its way back from Penn State, the basketball team wanted to surprise Shickora and wish her luck. A clever plan was hatched to keep it a surprise, and after her win, Shickora admitted that act of kindness helped motivate her.

When she took the stand to receive her gold medal, she held a mini-basketball that had been given to her by the team.