Weatherly Area Sports Hall of Fame to grow in February

The 2001-02 championship boys’ basketball team, and 2001 graduate Austin Gregory will be inducted into the Weatherly Area High School Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, February 11. This year’s Hall of Fame Class will be enshrined prior to the Wreckers’ varsity boys’ basketball game with MMI Prep, slated for a 3 p.m. start.

The 2001-02 Wreckers captured the program’s first District 11 Class A championship since 1986 and remain the last Weatherly Area boys’ team to hoist the championship trophy.

Led by Nenstiel brothers Bob and Ryan, Weatherly erased a two-point halftime deficit with a huge second half to beat Mahanoy Area 55-38 in front of a large crowd at Martz Hall in Pottsville. Trailing 24-22 at the half, Weatherly Area outscored the Golden Bears 33-14 in the second half in winning its first district championship since 1986.

“The kids united real well and played together all year long and we beat a really good team tonight,” Weatherly Area head coach Bob Lutsick said afterward.

Bob Nenstiel put the Wreckers ahead for good with a three-pointer at the 4:41 mark of the third period, and later Clabia sparked an 8-0 run with a driving basket and two free throws that broke the game wide open.

Ryan Nenstiel capped his 17-point night with a three-pointer and a bank shot down the stretch. Bob Nenstiel also scored 17 points with 10 rebounds, and Clabia finished with nine points and stellar ball handling against Mahanoy Area’s pressure defense.

The Wreckers saw their season end the following week against Fairfield in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs.

In addition to 1,000-point scorers Bob and Ryan

Nenstiel, Minnick, Clabia, Pfeiffer, Chris Condrick, Jason Hall, Matt Hadzick and Chris Hadzick were among the key players in the

Weatherly Boys’ Basketball Roundup

Wrecker rotation.

Prior to their dominating season of 2001-02, Austin Gregory was a dominating presence in the middle for the Wreckers from 1998 to 2001. The 6-foot-6 Gregory was a double-double machine and finished his career with more than 1,000 points.

This year’s Hall of Fame festivities at Weatherly Area Middle School begin with a noon varsity girls’ basketball game between Weatherly Area and MMI Prep. The Weatherly Area junior varsity boys will take on MMI at 1:30 p.m.

Following the junior varsity game, at approximately 2:45 p.m., the 2022-23 Hall of Fame Class will be introduced. That ceremony will be followed by the varsity boys’ basketball game against MMI Prep.

Following basketball, at 4:30 p.m., the Hall of Fame buffet dinner will be held in the middle school cafeteria. Tickets are $16 for adults, $10 for children 6-12. Inductees dinner attendees will have free admission to all of the games.

Committee members, present and past Hall of Fame inductees, and Wrecker basketball fans are cordially invited to attend. Reservations must be made by February 4 via email at zoscins@weatherlysd.org or by calling the high school at (570) 427-8521 or Athletic Director Scott Zoscin at (570) 582-3750.