Clearfield also made a run to the District 9 Class AAAA title game for the fifth straight year, toppling Bradford 63-61. The Bison finished the year at 13-10, falling to Quaker Valley 66-51 in the first round of the state tournament.

Glendale also had a great year, finishing at 14-9. The Vikings fell in the first round of the District 6 Class AA playoffs 66-51 to Penns Manor.

Clearfield Alliance, Curwensville, Harmony and Philipsburg-Osceola all finished the year with four wins or less.

Once again the Player of the Year and Coach of the Year come from one of the top teams in Progressland.

Several players had a shot at the coveted title, but when you talk all-around stats, West Branch’s Larry Cowder came out on top again and wins the Player of the Year award for the second year in a row. He becomes the third Warrior to win multiple POTY awards, following Kody Trude (four-time) and Tyler Ferguson (two-time). Austin Krise and Sean Coble have also won the award.

The Coach of the Year award goes to the Warriors’ Danny Clark, who took a team that finished 13-10 and was bounced from the first round of district playoffs in 2018 to a team that made the district title game and the PIAA playoffs.

The selections for this year’s all-star team were based on observations by The Progress Sports Department and not solely on scoring ability, but all-around performance.

Here is how the team breaks down:

Coach of the Year: Danny Clark, West Branch — Not many people would have picked the Warriors to make the District 6 Class AA title game this year, but Clark’s team put out a solid effort in the playoffs.

The Warriors defeated United and Bishop McCort before falling to Bishop Guilfoyle in the championship game. West Branch headed to the PIAA playoffs where they fell to Lakeview to end the season at 18-8.

Clark was able to use his team’s strengths to get the most out of his bench when he needed them. He also helped make the Warriors one of the most dangerous teams from the 3-point line as they drained 201 on the year. He also won his 200th game at the helm of the Warriors, just the second coach in school history to do so, behind mentor Bill Etchison.

Player of the Year: Larry Cowder, West Branch — There would be few coaches around that wouldn’t want Cowder on their team. The senior finished the season with a Progressland leading 469 points, good enough for a 18.0 points per game average. He also averaged 10.7 rebounds per game for a total of 277.

In addition to being one of the top scorers for the Warriors, Cowder also had 73 steals and 49 blocks. He added 41 assists as well. Cowder had a double-double in 25 of the 26 games he played, including a 33-point, 13-rebound performance against Claysburg-Kimmel.

Cowder scored had nine 20-plus point performances on the year and only scored in single digits once. He was named the Moshannon Valley League MVP and was an Inter-County Conference first teamer.

First Team: Christian Bakaysa, Curwensville — Bakaysa had a big year for the Tide. The senior averaged 16.2 points per game and finished the year with 324 points. Bakaysa also averaged 8.2 rebounds per game with a total of 164.

Bakaysa’s best game came against Brockway on Jan. 25 where he scored 30 points, including going 14-for-18 from the free throw line. He had eight 20-point performances during the season and scored in double digits in all but five games.

The Tide senior was an Allegheny Mountain League first team all-star and a Moshannon Valley League first teamer. He was a Progressland second teamer last year.

First Team: Josh Potutschnig, Glendale — Potutschnig had a breakout year for the Vikings, averaging 19.1 points per game this season. He had a total of 439 points and 100 rebounds, along with 95 steals.

He hit double digits in 20 of 23 games and had his best effort on Jan. 11 against Williamsburg, where he dropped 35 points. He had a total of 11 games of 20-plus points and only scored in single digits three times.

Potutschnig was also a threat from the 3-point line, finishing the year with 50. He was a Moshannon Valley League and Inter-County Conference first team all-star. He was a second team Progressland selection last year.

First Team: Ryan Sinclair, Glendale — Sinclair has continued to become more dominant as his career has come along, finishing the year as the second leading scorer on the Vikings as a sophomore. He averaged 17.3 points per game for Glendale, for a total of 399 points. He also had 217 rebounds for just under 10 per game, along with 36 steals.

Sinclair had nine games of 20-plus point performances, including a 29-point effort against Williamsburg on Feb. 1. He scored in double digits in 20 of 23 games this season.

The sophomore was named as an Inter-County Conference second teamer this year. This is his first appearance on the Progressland all-star team.

First Team: Cade Walker, Clearfield — Things are never easy in the Mountain League, but the Bison were sure happy to have Walker on their side this season. He averaged 18.0 points per game for 415 points total. He also had 154 rebounds for a total of just over seven per game.

Walker had six 20-plus point performances, including a 32-point game at Bellefonte on Jan. 15. He scored in double digits in every game but one this season.

Walker was a first team Mountain League all-star this year. He was a second team Progressland last season.

First Team: Ryan Whitehead, Philipsburg-Osceola — Whitehead entered his sophomore year as one of the leading scorers for the Mounties. He continued that in 2018-19, averaging 15.0 points per game in the always-tough Mountain League. He also pulled down 192 rebounds for a total of 8.7 per game. At the free throw line, he had a 65% success rate.

Whitehead had five games with 20-plus points. His best game came against Clearfield on Jan. 25 when he scored a career-high 29 points. He scored in double digits in 17 of 22 games.

Whitehead was a Mountain League second teamer. He was also a Progressland second teamer last year.

This year, second team selections went to Clearfield Alliance’s Bryce Shaw and Aaron McCloskey; Clearfield’s Karson Rumsky; Curwensville’s Avery Francisco and Ty Terry; Glendale’s Jacob Jasper; Harmony’s Daniel Rorabaugh and Adam McGarvey; Moshannon Valley’s Alex Kitko and Joe Bacher; Philipsburg-Osceola’s Carson Jones and West Branch’s David Guerra.