The Herald, Sharon,
PA Published Sunday, April 6, 1997

WINTER SPORTS Girls basketball Pepe Award honoree is Grove City's Clelland

By Brad Isles
Herald Sports Writer

mandy
Mandy Clelland


Imagine standing on the court and looking into the stands to find that familiar face who was always there to offer support in time of need.

The 1997 Fabulous 15 Imagine looking from face to face, up and down the rows, and finding nothing but an empty space.

Grove City's Mandy Clelland faced that situation more than once this past season. Her father Keith, one of her biggest supporters, fell victim to a freak auto accident June 24, 1996, and passed away because of it. On business in Texas, he was halfway across the country, far away from home when it happened.

``Every time I'd do something wrong, I'd always look up,'' Clelland said. ``I'd have to lower my head. I thought of him all the time and tried to play hard for him.''

But Clelland persevered with the help of her teammates and mother Debbie, even though it was hard.

She went on to have an incredible season, one that she dedicated to her father.

Clelland finished second in the Mercer County Athletic Conference in scoring en route to earning MVP honors in MCAC Class AA play. She also opened the eyes of some major college recruiters.

For her courage to carry on when it would have been easier to just give up, Clelland has been chosen as The Herald's first recipient of the Johnny Pepe Award for winter sports.

In conjunction with the first Fabulous 15, as with the Heralded 22 football all-star team, The Herald staff hopes the Johnny Pepe Award becomes its most prestigious honor.

The award is named after the longtime, late Herald sports editor who was noted for his outstanding efforts when it came to coverage of high school and youth sports. Players, coaches, programs and fans were eligible.

Realizing what Clelland went through, the 5-10 junior forward was an easy selection for the award.

``It was really hard on me, losing my dad unexpectedly,'' Clelland said. ``It was hard, but I knew he wanted me to keep playing basketball because he loved watching me play and taking me to basketball games. So I did it for him and myself.''

Clelland led coach Roger Flynn's Lady Eagles to a 20-5 record and a berth in the District 10 playoffs. She finished with 384 points, a 16 points per game average, after missing one game because of the flu.

Clelland also had 196 rebounds, 82 blocks and 53 steals while shooting 54 percent from 3-point range.

It seems as though the basketball court was Clelland's outlet. A place to forget everything and just perform. But there was a moment, albeit brief, that she thought of just quitting.

``At first it entered my mind,'' Clelland said. ``I was like, `I'm done with basketball.' Then as I thought about it more, I knew that my dad definitely wanted me to continue on and play. My goal is to get a scholarship and we always discussed that.

``He helped me with my college stuff, organizing letters and sending back game tapes and questionnaires.''

If the loss of her father wasn't enough, when Clelland looks to the stands next season, there will be two empty seats to catch her eye.

Three weeks ago, her grandfather, Donald, passed away. Again, Clelland kept going, playing in the 60th Sharon Lions Club-W.U. Hoyle Basketball Tournament and putting her Lady Eagles in the championship game against the Kennedy Christian underclassmen.

``I really wanted to play because my grandpa and my dad would always come and they enjoyed watching the Hoyle,'' Clelland said. ``So I just really wanted to play for them.''

She missed the championship game, however, because she was in Cincinnati for the NCAA Women's Final Four with teammate Erin Kennedy.

``It was phenomenal,'' Clelland said of the experience. ``We met a lot of fans and coaches. It helped to get away and have some nice vacation time.''

After dedicating the 1996-97 to her father and wreaking havoc upon the league, she now has two people to perform for.

In other words, her foes should beware.

``I'm going to dedicate next season to both of them and try as hard as I can to play,'' Clelland said.

``My grandpa came to every game with my mom and with my dad. So two of my biggest fans died this past year.''


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Updated April 8, 1997
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