DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Loyalsock girls basketball players celebrate with teammates and fans after beating Shady Side during last year’s PIAA Class AAA championship game in Hershey. Loyalsock winning the girls basketball state title was named the 2025 Sun-Gazette Story of the Year.

Loyalsock seniors Lacey Kriebel and Julie Ellis were the first players in late March at the Giant Center in Hershey to hoist the PIAA Class AAA championship Trophy.

Not long after, fellow teammates were touching the trophy and taking photos. It was a moment players wanted to savor, and for good reason. Loyalsock’s girls basketball team won the program’s first-ever girls basketball state championship that day against Shady Side Academy, but more importantly, they became the first girls basketball team in Lycoming County to accomplish that feat.

There have been numerous talented girls basketball teams over the decades to come out of Lycoming County, but the 2024-25 Lancers are the only to reach the peak of the mountain.

That remarkable run last winter to claim the state title was named the 2025 Sun-Gazette Story of the Year.

“It’s the best way to end the season. There is no better way to end my whole career,” Ellis told the Sun-Gazette last March after winning the title. “I’m just so grateful for everybody who has helped me get this far. My coaches, my trainer and my teammates. It wouldn’t have been done without them. It was great to see it all come together in the end.”

“Nobody thought we could do it, but we knew inside we could do it,” Kriebel said after last year’s championship game. “The reality of knowing that we’re the best is the best feeling in the world.”

Loyalsock finished the season last year 30-2 en route to winning the state championship, closing the season on an eight-game winning streak that culminated in Hershey.

In the state tournament, Loyalsock played outstanding. The Lancers cruised past Biglerville, 53-20, and West Catholic, 54-35. That was followed with a 24-point win over Dunmore and a 19-point win against Imhotep Charter. In the state final, the Lancers edged out Shady Side, 55-43.

After the season, Loyalsock’s team continued to shine as the Lancers’ Alaina Dadzie was named the Pennsylvania Class AAA Player of the Year while coach Curtis Jacobson earned Pennsylvania Class AAA Coach of the Year honors.

Winning a state championship is never easy in any sport, and basketball is just as tough. The Lancers came together and played solid start to finish last year and never showed signs of being beaten in the postseason.

“You’re not guaranteed to ever get back here again and these girls deserve this. They really deserve it,” Jacobson said after winning states. “We wanted to be as a group on the court one more time and soak things in and have the opportunity to let them know how proud I was of them. They did an amazing job and all the credit goes to them.”

Loyalsock made the community and area proud that day in late March in Hershey. And they also secured their spot as the top story of the year for 2025.

2025 STORIES OF THE YEAR

No. 2–Montgomery’s Brandt Harer and Muncy’s Austin Johnson both win state medals in wrestling as the two are Division I commits with Harer going to Rutgers and Johnson now at Oklahoma State.

No. 3–Montgomery’s girls wrestling team wins the state title as Zoe Furman takes silver and Jenna Houseknecht and Emily Murphy secure bronze medals. Furman is the first D4 girl to take silver or better.

No. 4–After 51 years coaching boys basketball, Loyalsock coach Ron Insinger steps down after numerous winning seasons, district championships, league titles and a state championship in 2021.

No. 5–Muncy’s girls soccer team wins its first-ever District 4 championship and makes it to the state semifinals. It’s Muncy’s first girls team in any sport to reach the PIAA semifinals.

No. 6–Montoursville’s baseball team comes just shy of winning a state title as the Warriors fall in the PIAA Class AAAA championship at Penn State.

No. 7–South Williamsport’s softball team caps its season with a silver medal in the state tournament as the Mounties fall to Neshannock in the PIAA Class AA champiosnhip game at Penn State.

No. 8–Lewisburg’s boys soccer team goes undefeated to win the PIAA Class AA championship, the program’s fifth state title and first since the 2020 season.

No. 9–Lewisburg’s Baylee Espinosa breaks the school record in the 1,600 to win state gold and wins title in 3,200 while Hughesville’s Kylie Temple wins state gold in the 300 hurdles.

No. 10–Montgomery’s football team wins its first league title since 2001 and wins 10 games in a single season for the first time since 1991 en route to reaching the District 4 Class A title game.

PAST SUN-GAZETTE SPORTS STORIES OF THE YEAR

2024–Montgomery’s Harer family has success on wrestling mats as Denny Harer surpasses 300 career victories as a coach, and sons Brandt and Conner Harer both win state medals at their respective weights.

2023–Four area wrestlers win state gold while another four take silver, highlighting the area’s success in boys wrestling.

2022–Montgomery’s softball team wins the PIAA Class A championship, becoming the first team in Red Raiders’ history — in any sport — to win state gold.

2021–Loyalsock’s boys basketball team wins the programs first state championship after beating Brookville, giving coach Ron Insinger his first title.

2020–The COVID-19 pandemic upends sports, from youth through national level, including canceling spring sports for high school athletes.

2019–Montoursville native Mike Mussina is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

2018–St. John Neumann grad Alize Johnson and Loyalsock grad Kyle Datres are both drafted to the NBA and MLB, respectively.

2017–The inaugural MLB Little League Classic is played at Bowman Field between the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates

2016–Former Lycoming College coach Frank Girardi is inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

2015–Lewisburg’s boys soccer team wins the PIAA Class AA championship, the first title in 15 years as they go 25-0

2014–The biggest LLWS ever: Mo’ne Davis, Jackie Robinson West, Dave Belisle and record ratings

2013–The Williamsport Outlaws fold amidst first season of outdoor hockey; cancel six weeks of games.

2012–Ugandans are the first native African team in the Little League World Series.

2011–Penn State fires Joe Paterno in the wake of Jerry Sandusky child abuse charges.

2010–Jersey Shore and Montgomery girls compete for PIAA softball championships; both finish second

2009–Loyalsock girls earn a PIAA Class A soccer championship

2008–Loyalsock wins PIAA baseball and softball titles on the same day.

2007–Frank Girardi retires after 36 seasons as Lycoming’s football coach

2006–South Williamsport girls win PIAA Class AA girls soccer championship.

2005–No. 14 seed Bucknell upsets No. 3 seed Kansas in the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament.

2004–Down year in football as just one local team — Montoursville — finishes with a winning record

2003–Lycoming wide receiver Ricky Lannetti dies of MRSA the night before an NCAA playoff game.

2002–Louisville’s Aaron Alvey and Fort Worth’s Walker Kelly combine for 40 strikesouts as each throws a maximum nine innings in a U.S. semifinal game. Louisville wins, 2-0, in 11 innings en route to taking the LLWS title.

2001–Driver Blaise Alexander of Monotursville is killed in an ARCA series crash.

2000–Montoursville’s Mike Mussina leaves the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent after 10 seasons to sign with the New York Yankees.