Little has limited Ray Bartha over his near four-decade career in high school sports as a girls basketball coach and athletic director at Apollo-Ridge — until now.

Bartha, 63, has worked from home lately following a radical prostatectomy, or the removal of his prostate gland.

He said a small amount of cancer was discovered after an exam, but it was caught in its early stages.

"The good news is there was no cancer in any lymph nodes and nothing got outside the prostate wall, so I am happy," Bartha said.

Bartha retired from coaching last year after 34 seasons.

Highlands record

Junior Micah Mason is closer to the Highlands career scoring record than first thought. The school's all-time leading scorer, 6-foot-9 forward Jon Pawlak, actually scored 1,623 career points in the mid-1990s before playing at Duquesne. Highlands had been going by a different number but has settled on the new mark.

A third-year starter, Mason is second on Highlands' scoring list with 1,493 points.

Mason missed the first game of his varsity career Thursday due to the flu. Mason said he was so sick, he passed out in his bathroom.

Charitable clinic

Event organizer and Kiski Area assistant baseball coach Zach Jankowski said portions of the profits from the 25th annual Pennsylvania Baseball and Softball Coaches Clinic will go toward youth programs.

Last year, organizers made a donation to the John Challis Scholarship Fund, and they plan to donate to the WPIAL Baseball Coaches Association all-star event, as well.

This year's clinic was Jan. 14-15 at the Radisson Hotel in Green Tree.

Next year's clinic already is on the organizers' minds.

"It is a tremendous undertaking," Jankowski said. "The planning for the 2012 clinic (began) the day after the 2011 clinic (ended). "

No more football?

A pair of talented Springdale football players appear to be finished playing the game.

Seniors Bill Arch and Jake Summerill opted to chase engineering degrees at once-rival colleges.

Dynamos coach Chuck Wagner said Arch, this season's Valley News Dispatch Offensive Player of the Year, is headed to Pitt, while Summerill is going to Penn State.

Super Bowl tie-in

Deer Lakes officials said the Lancers' football team borrowed their team colors from the Green Bay Packers. The uniforms, at one time, had the exact detail of the Packers' digs, minus the "G" on the helmets.

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