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High Schools - Freshman Sponsler a cyber warrior for Roxborough
By TED SILARY Philadelphia Daily News
Granted, travel these days is easier than ever. But Chris Sponsler's everyday journey defies all logic.
The school he attends is located in western Pennsylvania. He plays sports for Roxborough High.
Huh?
Yes, there's a catch in the story of this budding baseball star.
Sponsler, a 6-foot, 170-pound freshman, has never set foot in school a day in his life. After being home-schooled by his mother, Sue, through the seventh grade, he's now in his second year of taking online classes offered by the Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, commonly known as PA Cyber.
The Andorra resident is permitted to play for Roxborough because it's his neighborhood school.
"Learningwise, cyber-school is like being in regular school except you're sitting at a computer," Sponsler said. "You see the teacher in the class and you have a microphone in front of you, and you can speak up whenever you have a question.
"I take five major classes - there's a maximum of 20 kids in each - and the schoolday runs from 9 to 1:30. I get a half-hour for lunch."
Yesterday, Sponsler had W.B. Saul for a midafternoon snack. A substantial one.
Batting third in the order, the shortstop went 3-for-3 with a double, sacrifice fly and three RBI as Roxborough rocked the visiting Razorbacks, 14-4, in a six-inning Public B game.
Sponsler's situation is not unprecedented. Not even in the family. His brother, Doug, was a second-team coaches' All-Public infielder for Roxborough just last season and now attends Cedarville University, in Ohio, where he's becoming accustomed to a normal school situation and perhaps will again play baseball next spring.
"My mom used to home-school both of us," said Chris, who also pitches. "As we got older, it got to be a little more difficult so we started last year with the cyber-school thing."
Bob Stowman, Roxborough's coach, last spring got a look at Chris as he played in the 21st Ward program. He even predicted Chris would be a varsity player as a freshman.
"I would have been happy just being on the team," Chris noted. "But coach put me in the No. 3 spot in the opener and I'm still there. That's a surprise. This team has some real good hitters. I'm just trying to do my part.
"It's kind of weird joining a team where you don't know anyone. But everybody has welcomed me. Doug always said the guys were great to him, too. He told me what to expect, just like he taught me how to hit and throw from the time I was 5 years old in T-ball."
Sponsler ripped a single to left in the first, but the inning ended with a bases-loaded, two-out strikeout. From there he notched his sac fly in a two-run third, his two-run double (right down the line; short hop off the fence) in a five-run fourth and his single (to right-center; admittedly a blooper) to start the four-run sixth.
Also starring for the Indians was sophomore Andy Shields, who throws and bats lefthanded. He went 2-for-3 with a sac fly and three RBI out of the cleanup hole while allowing five hits and striking out 11 on the mound.
Fran Filewicz stroked two hits, including a double. Stephen Tucker (double) and Amir Boler (game-ending single) smacked hits worth two RBI while Adrese Hicks scored three times and Mackenzie Whalen thrice got plunked by pitches.
John DeMalavez (single) and Steve Reyes (double) stroked RBI-producing hits for Saul.
According to its Web site, Sponsler's school, based in Midland, about 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, serves 6,000 students statewide in grades K-12. There is no tuition.
Next year, the number could drop to 5,999.
"I might be going to a private school," Chris Sponsler said. "I'm just a little tired of not being around kids while I take my classes. It would be nice to have school friends.
"I'm not sure, but maybe there's a way I could still play for Roxborough." *