Sports Features

Two years ago, Northern Lehigh's Channing Shiffert set a school record for goals in a season, which led to him being named the TIMES NEWS Boys' Soccer Player of the Year.

An injury (dislocated patella), kept him from repeating those accolades last year.

Through long, hard rehabilitation, Shiffert returned to top form and broke his own record with 28 goals, added nine assists and helped lead the Bulldogs to their first ever District 11 playoff berth. He finished an outstanding career with 61 goals and 35 assists.

When Lauren Heckelman first picked up a tennis racquet three years ago, Pleasant Valley head coach Mark Allison wasn't quite sure how her career was going to turn out.

"As a freshman, I didn't know if we could make a tennis player out of her," admitted Allison. "She would either hit the ball into the net or into the fence surrounding the court. She needed a lot of work."

Heckelman isn't afraid to admit it either.

Carl Wolter knew what had to be done.

Wolter approached the teed up golf ball and addressed it, intensifying his focus for one perfect swing. The result was a 409-yard drive that outdistanced his opponent Ben Tuaone in the finals of the 2011 RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship Powered By Dick's Sporting Goods.

With that swing, the 35-year old Wolter matched his 2002 performance to regain his place atop the power golf world.

At a very young age, Jordyn Homyak knew she loved basketball.

That's not surprising.

Because from the time she was an infant, Jordyn was attending her sisters basketball games.

Older sisters Brianne, Jessica and Jill all had successful basketball careers at Marian High School and Jordyn saw almost every game.

Part of her earliest memories of those games came when Brianne, the oldest of the Homyak sisters, scored the 1,000th point of her high school career.

Fourteen years after witnessing her sister reach that milestone, Jordyn achieved it herself.