RAY SWANSON | Keystone Corner Young talent worth our attention

We attended a number of exciting contests in the Pennsylvania 11-year-old Little League State Championships held recently at the West Middlesex VFW fields.
Action certainly wasn't lacking during the tourney and the little guys came to play, with a number of contests going down to the wire. Not only were the players on top of their game, but the coaches, managers and fans have to be applauded for their outstanding performances, too. Six umpires worked each game.
Match-up
It all boiled down to a showdown between Section 2 titleholder DuBois and a team from the eastern part of the state, Council Rock Newton.
Both teams were extremely well-schooled, not only in the fundamentals of the game but the more internal parts of the game, like baserunning. It was this segment of the game that Council Rock Newton utilized to blank DuBois, 8-0, in the championship game.
One thing that was a little disheartening was the fact that not too many local fans turned out for the action. There were teams from State College, Danville and Berwyn-Pholi, to mention a few, in addition to the finalists.
Gary Laskey of Laskey's Furniture Store in Sharon attended a number of games.
"I love to watch these little guys play," said Laskey. "It's amazing how talented these kids are at such a young age. I just wonder how many of these kids we'll be watching in the major leagues some day."
Impressed fan
Also attending the contests was a former Greenville St. Michael athletic standout, Ray Giardina of Hermitage.
"The way these kids run the bases is impressive. That has to stem from good coaching," Giardina related. "They play heads-up ball."
It was the first state championship held in Mercer County in over 30 years, and the poor attendance was disappointing.
Jabby Alison, a former Sharpsville High all-around athlete, was in attendance earlier at the Hermitage complex.
"These kids are good," said Alison, "and they hit the heck out of the ball."
The state championship for 11-year-olds was a first. The last Little League state tournament locally was held in Sharon over 30 years ago.
Bowers back?
There's been some rumors circulating that R.J. Bowers, the former West Middlesex High football and baseball standout, may be contemplating a return to the NFL with the Carolina Panthers.
Bowers, the high-powered running back at Grove City College where he became the top rusher in NCAA football history (all divisions), played for five seasons in the minors with the Houston Astros organization before jumping to the NFL with Carolina, the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Apparently, Bowers has been approached by the Panthers. It would be nice to see Bowers back in action.
Chamberlain takes over
There have been a number of outstanding athletes at Sharpsville High through the years. It has also had its fair share of great coaches.
Now you can add another former Blue Devil athlete to the coaching ranks -- Bob Chamberlain, who will take over as Reynolds High girls basketball coach.
Chamberlain is a 1978 graduate of Sharpsville, where he played basketball.
He replaces Justin Majestro, who resigned. The new coach reportedly has a solid unit returning, which could help his cause.