Girls’ Basketball: Schuylkill Haven honors 1985 PIAA state champions, beats Pottsville
Members of the 1985 Schuylkill Haven girls' basketball team that won the PIAA Class A state championship pose during a ceremony prior to Friday's game against Pottsville. Team members include, front row, from left: Kathy (Sterner) Barrow, Kelly (Boyer) Schweigert, Tracy Herb, Cheryl (Trumbo) Pishock, Denise (Dress) Olson and Sarah Miller, accepting for her mother, the late Angie Miller; back row, head coach Burt Werdt, assistant coach Lora Montz, Denise (DeWitt) Book, Tara (Seitzinger) Brensinger, Sonya (Spolski) Kramer, Tammy (Zimmerman) Orloski, Tami (Schaeffer) Ross, Kelly Ruff and Lori (Hafer) Blum (Photo by Leroy Boyer).
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — One by one they were introduced, legends from a generation ago.
Heroes from 40 years prior, they were the first team to bring a PIAA state championship to the Little Town That Could.
Schuylkill Haven celebrated the 40th anniversary of its 1985 PIAA Class A girls’ basketball state championship in a ceremony prior to Friday’s Schuylkill League Division I game against Pottsville at the CACL Center.
The 13 members of the team, assistant coach Lora Montz and head coach Burt Werdt were introduced to the crowd as they walked out to center court, where they were presented a commemorative T-shirt by one of the members of this year’s squad.
The current Hurricanes then went out and showcased their talents, staying unbeaten with a 43-31 victory over the Crimson Tide.
“I was honestly near tears,” center Cheryl (Trumbo) Pishock said of the ceremony. “Seeing Mr. Werdt again and the girls, it was a very meaningful touch. It was from the heart.”
The event was orchestrated by Haven assistant coaches Kevin and Sadie Cresswell. Schuylkill Haven Superintendent Dr. Shawn Fitzpatrick served as the master of ceremonies, detailing the Hurricanes’ run to PIAA gold before introducing the members of the team.
Schuylkill Haven went 27-2 in the 1984-85 season. Both losses came during Schuylkill League Division II play to Pine Grove, which also made the state finals that season in Class AA.
The Hurricanes downed Cardinal Brennan 47-25 for the program’s first District 11 championship, then ran off state playoff victories over Jenkintown (53-33), Pittston Seton Catholic (55-39), Steel-High (52-46) and Benton (58-29) before beating Linesville 47-28 on March 29, 1985, at the Hersheypark Arena.
In addition to Pishock, the members of the team included Tracy Herb, Kelly (Boyer) Schweigert, Kathy (Sterner) Barrow, Denise (Dress) Olson, the late Angie Miller, Lori (Hafer) Blum, Kelly Ruff, Sonya (Spolski) Kramer, Tara (Seitzinger) Brensinger, Denise (DeWitt) Book, Tammy (Zimmerman) Orloski and Tami (Schaeffer) Ross.
All of the players were present for Friday’s ceremony, with Miller’s daughter Sarah accepting her T-shirt.
“I love every minute of this night,” said Herb, who works in software and lives in Nyack, New York. “I love Schuylkill Haven. I was so excited about seeing my teammates. I didn’t realize how special this was going to be, but I’m so choked up seeing so many people I used to see in the stands back then and seeing Mr. Werdt … It’s just so special. I love it here. It’s just awesome.”
Talking after the ceremony, Pishock, Herb and Werdt shared stories from that season and how it developed.
Pishock and Herb mentioned how most of the team didn’t play basketball until ninth grade after being encouraged by former girls’ basketball coach and football John Davis.
Werdt, who had coached junior high boys at Pine Grove prior to coming to Schuylkill Haven, recounted stories about scrimmages and some of the games during the playoff run.
“This is awesome. I love these girls,” said Werdt, who went on to coach the Blue Mountain boys for more than decade and is now retired. “I was shocked at the response, how they were into it. (The current players) were into it and cheering for us. That was really nice.”
The 6-foot-1 Pishock, who is a counselor with the Hamburg Area School District, and the 5-10 Herb were a dynamic duo that season, with Pishock dominating inside and Herb using her playmaking skills to score from everywhere on the floor.
The Hurricanes scored PIAA wins over Bristol and Milton Hershey to reach the all-Schuylkill League PIAA Class A Eastern semifinals in 1984, falling to eventual state champion Marian. Shenandoah Valley and Saint Clair rounded out the Eastern semifinals that season. In 1985, they went the distance.
In the state championship game, Pishock and Herb each scored 20 points, with Pishock also pulling down nine rebounds and blocking seven shots. Schuylkill Haven led 22-21 at halftime, then outscored Linesville 8-0 in the third quarter to take control. In the second half, Haven outscored Linesville 25-7.
Barrow (4) and Miller (3) scored the Hurricanes’ other seven points.
“In the state championship game, I remember the adjustments he made at halftime because he was just a phenomenal coach,” Pishock said about Werdt. “He gives us credit, but we were so prepared, every practice. He would bring his Chris Mullen jumpshot and play with us. He led us. Yes, we played, but we had his direction.”
Herb said the support the team received from the Schuylkill Haven community is what she remembers the most.
“One of my biggest memories … it reminds of the Friday night lights in Texas,” Herb said. “The whole town came out to see us. When we came back, the whole town was here waiting for us. The parade, they closed the school … where do you find that? It was just so special. This community really, really made the whole experience so amazing.”
After the ceremony, most of the 1985 team stayed to watch the 2024-25 edition of the Hurricanes. This year’s group improved to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in Division I with a victory over Pottsville, using a 13-1 run to close the first half to take control.
Sophomore forward Mckenna Runkle had five of her team-high 12 points in the spurt, while Audrey Hutchinson had three steals and a pair of layups.
Hutchinson and Anna Schaeffer each finished with eight points, while Schaeffer had nine rebounds. Jo Barnhart paced Pottsville (0-5, 0-3 D-I) with 12 points.
In a perfect cap to the evening that tied the past to the present, Pishock and Herb watched from a balcony above the court as Runkle was interviewed post-game, then gave the sophomore a loud ovation when she was finished.
“I thought it was really cool that they all came back, supporting us,” Runkle said. “It was great to see them get the recognition, because they deserve it. It was inspiring to see them here, cheering us on.”
