Sophomore Chase Yocum didn’t expect to see much action at quarterback for the Shippensburg football team this season. The Raiders had a standout at that position – junior Ryan Zapoticky.
But Zapoticky was injured late in the Lock Haven game on Oct. 1 and Yocum, an Exeter Township grad, was thrown into the breach. He did well enough for Shippensburg to post a 38-16 victory against the Bald Eagles.
Yocum, a 5-foot-11, 200-pounder, started the next two games – a 31-15 loss to West Chester on Oct. 8 and a 76-0 whitewashing of Cheyney on Oct. 15. He rushed 16 times for 115 yards and hit 12 of 26 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown against West Chester. Against Cheyney, he carried the ball 10 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns and hit 7-of-10 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown.
“Chase has a great work ethic and is taking advantage of his opportunity,” coach Mark Maciejewski said. “His enthusiasm is great and I’m proud of him because a lot of things where put on his shoulders very quickly. But Chase works, he studies, he puts the time in and he cares.”
On the season, with limited action the first four games, Yocum has hit 22 of 42 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. He’s been intercepted once. More at home running the ball, he has 362 yards on 55 carries (6.6 yards per carry) with three scores.
The Raiders are 5-2 overall and 3-1 in PSAC play after the Cheyney victory.
Sienna Zittle (Governor Mifflin) >> The 5-foot-6 freshman collected her first collegiate goal as she helped the Dickinson women’s soccer team shut out Penn State-Altoona 5-0 in the second game of the season on Sept. 3. She scored another goal in a 6-0 victory over St. Vincent on Oct. 8. The Red Devils are 6-5-4 overall and 1-4-2 in the Centennial Conference after a 4-0 league loss to Johns Hopkins on Oct. 19.
Nicholas Leinbach (Exeter Township) >> The 5-foot-10, 154-pound midfielder has a goal and an assist for the Millersville men’s soccer team, the Marauders 10-3-2 overall and 5-2-2 in PSAC play after a 3-2 non-league victory over Wheeling Jesuit on Oct. 19. Leinbach scored his first collegiate goal in a 3-2 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan on Sept. 4 and picked up his assist in a 4-0 triumph over Lock Haven on Oct. 5.
Alyssa Piffer (Exeter Township) >> The freshman has played in 13 games off the bench for the Penn State-Altoona women’s soccer team. She scored her first collegiate goal on a header in a 3-2 loss to Hilbert on Oct. 1. The Lions are 4-10-1 overall and 1-5-1 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference after a 1-0 league setback to Franciscan on Oct. 19.
Gabryele Pochron (Exeter Township) >> The senior is having another solid season in goal for the Hendrix field hockey team despite the fact that the squad is 3-10 overall and 1-4 in the Southern Athletic Association. Pochron has given up 60 goals and has 215 saves. The two-time SAA first-team selection has 1,248 saves in her career, which is best ever at Hendrix and in the SAA and one of the top marks in Division III.
Michael Brown (Oley Valley) >> The 5-foot-10, 175-pound red-shirt freshman is leading the Bloomsburg football team with 21 receptions for 382 yards, which averages out to 18.19 yards per catch. He had his best game of the season in a 34-24 loss to Kutztown on Oct. 8 when he caught seven passes for 88 yards including an 11-yard touchdown. The Huskies are 4-3 overall and 2-2 in PSAC play after a 27-7 loss to West Chester on Oct. 15.
Savannah Tucker (Boyertown) >> The junior has played in 12 games with one start for the King’s women’s soccer team, the Monarchs 5-8 overall and 2-3 in MAC Freedom play after a 1-0 league victory over Delaware Valley on Oct. 18. Tucker picked up an assist on the winning goal. She scored her team’s only goal in a 3-1 loss to Moravian on Oct. 5. It was her third career goal having played in 24 games with 14 starts her first two seasons.
Caitlyn Somerville (Boyertown) >> The 5-foot-5 senior is starting at flanker for the West Chester women’s rugby team which stands 5-2 after a 38-34 victory over Vassar on Oct. 16. The Golden Rams outscored foes 139-26 to open the season with a 4-0 record before they were beaten 56-10 to American International on Oct. 9.
Emily Hepner (Schuykill Valley) >> The 5-foot-4 Libero currently is ranked 19th in the country in Division III in digs with 499. That also stands ninth in the Lycoming women’s volleyball one-season record book. Hepner had a season-high 26 digs in a 3-2 victory over Elmira on Oct. 15 and recorded 82 in her last four games including 14 in a 3-0 loss to Widener last Oct. 18. She had 519 digs as a freshman.
“Emily came back stronger and ready to go this fall and that has really helped her development,” coach Tim McMahon said. “She is all of the things you want in a Libero. She’s extremely intelligent, athletic, quick to the ball, hard-nosed and she has a great center of balance.”
After the Widener loss, the Warriors stand 14-16 overall and are 3-4 in MAC Commonwealth play.
Kailee Ziegler (Tulpehocken) >> The 5-foot-6 junior forward has played in all 13 games with 12 starts for the Stevenson women ‘s soccer team. She recorded her first collegiate goal in a 2-1 victory over Frostburg State on Sept. 6 and had a goal in a 3-0 victory over Widener on Oct. 1. She had two assists as a sophomore.
The Mustangs are 6-5-2 overall and 3-1-1 in MAC Commonwealth play after a 2-1 league loss to Messiah on Oct. 18.
Austin Young (Fleetwood) >> The 5-foot-6 sophomore picked up an assist to help the Alvernia men’s soccer team get past Hood 2-0 on Oct. 15. He scored his first collegiate goal in a 2-1 loss to Messiah on Oct. 5. Sophomore Zach Weidner (Governor Mifflin) and freshmen Cody Hart (Exeter Township) and Christian Smith (Boyertown) see action on defense for the Crusaders who are 3-10-1 overall but 2-2-1 in MAC Commonwealth play after a 1-1 tie with Widener on Oct. 19.
Samantha Schearer (Brandywine Heights) >> The 5-foot-9 sophomore outside hitter has 72 kills, 38 digs, 22 service aces and six blocks in just 12 matches and 42 sets for the Gwynedd Mercy women’s volleyball team, which is 9-14 overall and 4-5 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference after a 3-0 loss to Neumann on Oct. 18. Shearer had 10 kills in a 3-1 loss to Rutgers-Camden on Sept. 3 and 10 digs in a 3-2 loss to Bryn Mawr on Oct. 13.
Eric Adamo (Fleetwood) >> The 5-foot-8 freshman midfielder has played in all 15 games with 11 starts for the Albright men’s soccer team. It didn’t take long for him to record his first collegiate goal. It came in a 4-3 season-opening loss to Immaculata. The Lions are 2-11-2 overall and 0-6 in MAC Commonwealth play after a 1-0 league loss to Arcadia on Oct. 19.
Ashley Hoffman (Twin Valley) >> The 5-foot-4 sophomore has started all 15 games for the third-ranked North Carolina field hockey team. She has two goals and a team-high eight assists for 12 points and picked up an assist as the Tar Heels bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Louisville on Oct. 15 to turn back Miami, OH 6-0 on Oct. 16. North Carolina is 12-3 overall and 3-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
