2026 was the “Year of the Beaver” on the high school baseball diamond, as the DuBois Area squad jumped out to its best start in school history (12-0), then rode the momentum from that hot start all the way through the postseason and into the PIAA Class 5A state championship game.

Whether you’re the type of fan who thinks that offense wins championships, or pitching, or defense, this year’s Beavers team had plenty of all those things, and with that, it’s no surprise that — despite successful campaigns from a number of schools in the Tri-County Weekend/Courier Express (TCW/CE) coverage area — DuBois Area players were well represented in this year’s TCW/CE baseball awards, including a sweep of the top honors for players and coach of the year.

The senior duo of catcher Trey Wingard and pitcher/outfielder Noah Farrell each earned a share of the Player of the Year award, while head coach Josh Johnson won his second-straight Coach of the Year honors. Wingard is also the catcher on the first team, and Farrell is one of four pitchers on the same.

The Beavers, who finished with a 21-5 record, weren’t the only team to see successes stacked on top of successes this year, as the Elk County Catholic Crusaders also won a District 9 title in Class A, then made a run of their own under head coach Dan Singer all the way to the state semifinals, while Redbank Valley also earned a spot in the state tournament with a runner-up finish in District 9 Class 2A.

On top of it all, the inaugural season of the District 9 Central League was a smashing success — bringing lots of local rivals together for competition throughout an action-packed regular season, ending with DuBois Central Catholic topping the Beavers in a D9CL championship game for the first-ever league title.

Many memorable moments will live on from the season that went down to the wire — with the Beavers taking eventual state champion Greencastle-Antrim to 14 innings in the state’s final title game — and it will set the tone for yet another memorable one ahead.

Here’s a look at this year’s TCW/CE All-Star Teams and major award winners:

CO-PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: Noah Farrell, Sr., DuBois and Trey Wingard, Sr., DuBois

From the very beginning of the season, Farrell and Wingard provided a 1-2 punch for a deep and talented Beavers squad, as the Beavers opened the season at home against Kane on March 24 and saw Farrell pitched four two-hit shutout innings, striking out eight, while Wingard quickly gave his team its first runs of the season with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning.

That was just the beginning of a hot-hitting season for Wingard that saw him heat up early and never cool down en route to breaking a number of school records. He surpassed the career hits record of 86 in early April, then broke the 100-hits threshold on April 24 in a game against Avonworth. He went on to break the single-season doubles record (13) in the D9CL title game and eclipsed the single-season hits record (40) in a subregional game against Meadville. On top of that, he finished tied for the school record in career doubles with 28.

Wingard’s statistics for the season were eye-popping to say the least. He led all area hitters with a .586 batting average — nearly 100 points better than his closest competitor — 2025 Player of the Year Braylon Wagner of Redbank Valley. He also had area-best numbers in on-base percentage (.637), slugging percentage (.874), hits (51), doubles (14) and runs scored (29).

He had at least one hit in all but one of his team’s 26 games, including 14 multi-hit games. Three times, he had four hits in the same game — including a two-home-run, seven-RBI game against Altoona on April 18.

And all of that says nothing of his toughness and calm demeanor displayed behind the plate as the battery mate for Farrell and the rest of the Beavers’ pitching staff, as he was donning the gear behind the dish for 167-2/3 of the 170-2/3 innings his team played and was charged with just one error all season.

Farrell, one could certainly argue, saved his best pitching for the postseason — but that’s certainly not an insult to the numbers he put up in the regular season, as they were quite impressive on their own. Once the games became single-elimination, though, Farrell seemed to find another level.

During the regular season, he started a total of seven games for the Beavers, picking up the wins in five of those games and handing over the lead to the bullpen in one of the other two.

With the pressure on in the postseason opener — a subregional game against Taylor Allderdice on May 21 — Farrell was lights-out, throwing a complete-game, no-hit shutout and striking out 14 batters to propel DuBois to a 1-0 victory. His next appearance came in the first round of the PIAA playoffs against Montour, where he went the distance again and allowed just one unearned run on five hits in a 2-1 DuBois victory.

After not being able to pitch in the second round due to pitch count limitations, Farrell took the ball again in the semifinals against Hollidaysburg, and while he ran out of pitches after six frames, he managed to limit the Golden Tigers to just one unearned run on one hit through those six innings — with 10 strikeouts — before Grady Galiczynski pitched a scoreless seventh to seal a 4-1 victory and put DuBois in the state final.

Having had ample rest to pitch again, Farrell also started the championship game against Greencastle-Antrim, and in that contest — which ended up going 14 innings — Farrell pitched the first 5-1/3 before the pitch count forced him out of the game. When he exited, he had allowed just one run, again unearned, on one hit and struck out 13, and DuBois was clinging to a 3-1 lead.

Farrell finished with an ERA of just 0.486, best in the area, and allowed opponents to hit just .117 off him while allowing 0.787 walks/hits per inning pitched (WHIP) — one of just four area pitchers under 1 in that statistic. He also had an area-best 111 strikeouts in 57.2 innings of work and allowed just four earned runs and 23 hits all season.

When he wasn’t pitching, Farrell played right field for the Beavers and also contributed to the offensive output by batting .299 with 26 hits and 20 RBIs.

The next stop for each of the co-Players of the Year is Division I at the collegiate level, as both will continue their academic and athletic careers. Wingard will play for the University of Delaware, while Farrell is off to play at the University of Connecticut.

COACH OF THE YEAR:

Josh Johnson, DuBois

Johnson took the helm of the Beavers program at the beginning of the 2025 season, and he earned that year’s Coach of the Year honors by taking a DuBois team that had gone 7-13 the previous year and leading them to a 14-8 record and their first trip to the state playoffs since 2014.

This year, the bar was high — and Johnson and his team rose above it in making their trek to the state finals — just the second team to do so in DuBois history, joining the 1992 squad.

Johnson’s calm demeanor proved pivotal for his players as they rode the roller coaster of a postseason when you’re playing every game — and taking part in every practice — knowing that it could be your last. As the pressure mounted, the Beavers seemed to absorb the right energy from their coaching staff — all while maintaining an obvious passion for the game and desire to win.

That team fire was undoubtedly fueled by Johnson’s own love for and knowledge of the game — a game that he played at Ridgway back in his high school days, then for 12 years at the Minor League and Independent levels after being drafted out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in 2001.

FIRST TEAM

Pitcher: Noah Farrell, Sr., DuBois Area

Pitcher: Carter Himes, Sr., DuBois Central Catholic — Himes had a standout season in a year full of standout seasons, as he was a leader on the mound, in the field and at the plate for the Cardinals.

Where he shined most brightly was the days when he took the ball — and in his 11 appearances for DCC, he had numbers that were eerily similar to Farrell’s standout campaign: a 7-1 record, just four earned runs allowed and a .512 ERA, 109 strikeouts (with a .567 WHIP) and just 24 hits ceded. Opponents batted .127 against him.

When he wasn’t pitching, Himes proved a solid defensive presence at short for the Cardinals and was also a leader at the plate — batting .422, notching 27 hits (including six doubles and four triples) and driving in 19 runs.

Pitcher: Matthew Gilmore, Jr., Elk County Catholic — When Gilmore took the mound, it was no coincidence that good things happened for the Crusaders — and he took the mound often, matching an area-best 15 appearances for ECC in its run to the state semifinals. He appeared in all five of the Crusaders’ postseason games — two en route to the D-9 title and three in the state playoffs.

Gilmore’s 60-1/3 innings were also tied for most among area pitchers, and in those innings, he was nearly unhittable — holding opponents to a .168 average against him and allowing just seven earned runs for a 0.81 ERA. His WHIP was also below one (.994), and he was credited with an area-best nine wins.

When he wasn’t pitching, Gilmore was anchoring the position of shortstop for ECC, and he batted .280 with 21 hits, seven doubles, 22 RBIs and 23 runs scored.

Pitcher: Jaxon Huffman, Sr., Redbank Valley — Huffman was the workhorse on a Redbank Valley team that made a run into the state playoffs, pitching 58-1/3 innings in 15 appearances, matching Gilmore for most in the area. He finished the season with an ERA of 1.68 and allowed less than one WHIP (.926) while limiting opposing hitters to a .168 average.

When he wasn’t pitching, Huffman played what could best be described as a utility role, earning innings at second base, shortstop and center field while batting .357 for the Bulldogs and belting 25 hits and driving in 23 runs.

Catcher: Trey Wingard, Sr., DuBois Area

First Base: Ben Yale, Sr., Brockway — Yale’s senior campaign for the Rovers was a solid one, as he hit at a .446 clip to lead all first basemen and put himself among the best averages for players at any position. He also had 25 hits — including three home runs and seven doubles — while driving in 22 runs for the Rovers.

His contributions didn’t stop there, though, as he was a strong senior leader on the Rovers squad and also a key arm, throwing 38 innings and allowing 23 earned runs on 46 hits.

Second Base: Maddox Hetrick, Sr., Punxsutawney — Hetrick picked up the first-team nod at second base in addition to playing a good number of innings in the outfield for the Chucks, providing senior leadership and filling whatever gaps arose.

At the plate, Hetrick hit .338, but also walked 10 times en route to a .430 on-base percentage that allowed him to score 21 runs. He had 23 hits, including four doubles, a triple and a home run, and stole eight bases, as well.

Shortstop: Braylon Wagner, Sr., Redbank Valley — A year after winning the TCW/CE Player of the Year Award, Wagner had himself another standout campaign to earn first-team honors at his prime position when he wasn’t pitching — shortstop.

Wagner’s .493 batting average was second only to co-Player of the Year Wingard, and he had impressive totals in several other categories — 34 hits, 13 doubles, 27 RBIs, 23 runs scored and 20 stolen bases.

In addition to all that, he was the Bulldog’s second-best arm, hot on the heels of Huffman in a number of categories — throwing 46 innings, allowing just 11 earned runs for a 1.674 ERA and striking out 60 hitters.

Third Base: Mason Dinkfelt, Jr., DuBois — Dinkfelt brought quite a bit of pop to a DuBois lineup that had lots of it, leading the Beavers — and all area players — with eight home runs and a whopping 39 RBIs on the season. He hit home runs in two of the Beavers’ state playoff games — the quarterfinals and semifinals.

He also wasn’t the swing-for-the-fences-or-strike-out kind of hitter, as he hit .438 — best as his position — while amassing 35 hits and slugging .838. And defensively, playing what’s dubbed the hot corner, he committed just three errors all season.

Outfielder: Chase Simbeck, Jr., Elk County Catholic — Simbeck was the most consistent hitter on a balanced Crusaders squad, helping propel them to the state semifinals with his .414 average — best among all area outfielders.

He had 24 hits — four of which were doubles — and drove in 18 runs, all while providing a steady presence in left field for his team, going all season without being charged with an error.

Outfielder: Frankie Smith, Sr., Elk County Catholic — While teammate Simbeck led the team in batting average, Smith batted .392 in addition to earning 23 walks — an area-best total — for a .597 on-base percentage.

The result of being on base that much was that he also scored a lot of runs — 24 to be exact. And in center, Smith had a perfect fielding percentage, committing no errors to lead the Crusaders’ defense up the middle.

Outfielder: Tysen Beimel, Sr., St. Marys — Beimel had a solid senior season for the Dutchmen to garner first-team honors for the second year in a row, going the full season without committing an error and also hitting .397 at the plate for one of the highest averages in his position group. He also was able to use his speed to make a difference for his team, turning six of his hits into doubles and one into a triple in addition to stealing 14 bases. He scored 17 runs and drove in 12.

Designated Player: Madix Clark, Sr., DuBois Area — Clark earned his spot on the TCW/CE first team for a second-straight season by leading his position group in a plethora of categories — batting average (.307), OPS (.778), slugging percentage (.453), hits (23), home runs (3), RBIs (20) and runs scored (16). Head coach Johnson noted throughout the season how difficult it is to stay locked in while playing DH and commended Clark’s ability to do just that in the Beavers’ run to state runners-up.

Utility Player: Landen Marrara, Sr., Brookville — Marrara earned his first-team honors while embodying the idea of a utility player, splitting time between catcher (53 innings), second base (39-1/3) and pitching (21-2/3). He had some eye-popping statistics at the plate, batting .491 for the third-highest average among area players, with a .569 on-base percentage, 26 hits (including six doubles and a triple) and 14 RBIs.

SECOND TEAM

Pitcher: Brayden Zatsick, Jr., DuBois Central Catholic

Pitcher: Evan Burton, Soph., DuBois Central Catholic

Pitcher: Nevin Day, Sr., Punxsutawney

Pitcher: Jack Breindel, Soph., Elk County Catholic

Catcher: Paxton Herzing, Soph., Elk County Catholic.

First Base: Ladd Blake, Sr., Brookville

Middle Infield: Samson Deeb, Sr., DuBois Area

Middle Infield: Zayden Faith, Jr., Brockway

Middle Infield: Brody Knouse, Soph, DuBois Area

Third Base: Eric Decker, Soph., Brockway

Outfield: Xavier Schwentner, Jr., DuBois Central Catholic

Outfield: Kellan Hoover, Fr., DuBois Central Catholic

Outfield: Isaac Neiswonger, Sr., Redbank Valley

Designated Hitter: Wyatt Brem, Jr., Elk County Catholic

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Brockway: Ben Bash, Soph.; Caleb Daugherty, Jr.; Gage Park, Sr.

Brookville: Parker Kalgren, Jr.; Zach Phillips, Soph.

DuBois Area: Adam Drahushak, Jr.

DuBois Central Catholic: Aiden Keller, Soph.

Elk County Catholic: Charlie Geci, Sr.

Johnsonburg: Marcus Aiello, Jr.; Frankie Miller, Sr.

Redbank Valley: Brock George, Sr.

St. Marys: Cameron Coudriet, Sr.; Mason Nicklas, Sr.