| Bald Eagle-Nittany High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 200 Ben Avenue Mill Hall, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, 17751 USA |
|
| Information | |
| School type | public high school |
| Opened | 1955 |
| Closed | 1999 |
| School district | Keystone Central School District |
| Principal | Norman Palovcsik (1995-1996) |
| Faculty | 60 |
| Grades | 7-12 |
| Enrollment | 858 (1995-1996) |
| Grade 7 | 145 (1995-1996) |
| Grade 8 | 157 (1995-1996) |
| Grade 9 | 124 (1995-1996) |
| Grade 10 | 141 (1995-1996) |
| Grade 11 | 154 (1995-1996) |
| Grade 12 | 137 (1995-1996) |
| School Colour(s) | Black and White |
| Mascot | Panther |
| Merged with | Sugar Valley High School, Lock Haven High School |
| to form | Central Mountain High School |
Bald Eagle-Nittany High School was a public high school in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania. The building has since been renovated and is now Central Mountain Middle School.
Contents |
Bald Eagle-Nittany High School first opened its doors for the 1955-56 school year. Its name stems from the area where its students lived; from both valleys of Mount Nittany and Bald Eagle Mountain. The student body came from Mill Hall, Beech Creek, Pennsylvania, Lamar Township, Pennsylvania, Porter Township, Pennsylvania, and Bald Eagle Township, Pennsylvania. Because of its small town atmosphere it was recognized as a close knit group of staff and students who recognized themselves as "Bennies". In 1999, after already being joined by the majority of the Sugar Valley High School students, Bald Eagle-Nittany merged with Lock Haven High School and the three schools formed Central Mountain High School.[1] After the merger, many in the community were distraught with the fact that events such as the homecoming celebration mentioned above would be lost, along with the outstanding rivalries between these schools. Central Mountain students now recognize their own traditions.
The pride as a Bennie to achieve greatness on the gridiron, diamond, court, or wrestling mat was often paramount; the school band may have been the most dominating of all for its own rich history of championship competition. The athletics program's success started from the top and trickled down to the individual athletes. The athletic department provided the teams with more than could be asked for on a small school budget, and the various fund raiser contributions from the numerous athletic clubs was another way that the community and school worked together to establish a long tradition of pride and success.
The Bald Eagle-Nittany wrestling program was very successful. Regardless of the opponent, the seats were often filled when the Panther wrestling team took the mat. The Panther grapplers turned out a record of 450-221-11 over the school's forty-three years earning a .670 win percentage.
From the earliest annals of the program there has been success. Coach George Custer coached seven wrestlers to twelve District 6 individual titles, three wrestlers to four state titles and also had two runners-up. Coach Custer was inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Association Coaches Hall of Fame in 1973.
After Coach Custer, Coach Charles "Biff" Walizer headed the program for the next 25 years, amassing a 294-155-6 mark and ten District 6 titles, winning six straight to close out his career. Along with the team titles, Coach Walizer coached thirty-two individual champions to fifty-two total titles at the District 6 tournament. He also shared coaching success at the state level coaching four individual champions to eight titles with six runners-up. Coach Walizer was inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Association Coaches Hall of Fame in 2003.
Along with these two outstanding coaches, the following associates of the Bald Eagle-Nittany wrestling program have also been inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Association Coaches Hall of Fame: Terry Williams - 1991 (wrestler), Norm Polovcsik - 1999 (Editor), and Frank Eisenhower - 2004 (Wrestler).
The teams and individual wrestlers excelled at every level of competition. Bald Eagle-Nittany wrestling was the cream of the crop in District 6 earning twelve tournament titles and three duals titles. The Panthers also placed seventy-five wrestlers on top of the podium as champions, which is still the high mark among AA schools in the district to this day. The program also boasts eight members in the District 6 hall of fame; George Custer (inducted 1990), Terry Williams (1992), Frank Eisenhower (1998), Charles "Biff" Walizer (2000), Barry Daniels (2003), Scott Bair (2006), Trap McCormick (2006), and Biff Walizer (2006).
While wrestling at the regional level the program secured twenty-six champions, several of them earned honors as Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state wrestling champions. Bald Eagle-Nittany wrestling state champions and runners-up are:
Champions Runners-up
Frank Eisenhower 145 lbs. 1959 Karl Galbraith 165 lbs. 1963
Frank Eisenhower 154 lbs. 1960 Barry Daniels 127 lbs. 1966
Adam Waltz 138 lbs. 1962 Mark Williams 119 lbs. 1975
Barry Daniels 133 lbs. 1967 Mark Williams 126 lbs. 1976
Dusty Ream 138 lbs. 1974 Terry Williams 155 lbs. 1979
Terry Williams 155 lbs. 1977 Casey Koch 119 lbs. 1987
Terry Williams 155 lbs. 1978 Casey Koch 125 lbs. 1989
Terry Williams 155 lbs. 1980 Shan Rippey 135 lbs. 1991
Biff Walizer 125 lbs. 1992 Shawn Weaver 189 lbs. 1997
Biff Walizer 125 lbs. 1993
Scott Bair 119 lbs. 1995
Scott Bair 125 lbs. 1996
*Trap McCormick 112 lbs. 1997
+Andy Hull 160 lbs. 1999
* Also won titles in 1995 and 1996 while wrestling for the Sugar Valley Indians at 103 lbs. + Last wrestling match in a Bald Eagle-Nittany singlet.
Although Bald Eagle Nittany never had a track & field team or cross country team, Glenn Stephens coached himself and competed as a middle and long distance runner in open road races, Nittany Valley Track Club cross country, marathons, and all comers track meets, as an exhibition runner in Lock High High School track meets, and Jersey Shore High School cross country races. Stephens ran the first of several marathons as a sophomore, won the Class B division of the Camptown races as a junior, placed 3rd in Districts (and broke the District record) in the 880 as a junior, and won the West Branch conference 880 as a senior, breaking the Conference record. His senior year, Stephens lost a single track race. He was awarded a honorary letter his senior year.