At halftime of the Boys Basketball League Finals, the Lancaster-Lebanon League honored five new members of the Lancaster-Lebanon League Hall of Fame.
Ken Barshinger, Manheim Township Coach
Ken Barshinger may have had some unorthodox coaching methods in his 25 years at the helm
of Manheim Township’s swimming program, but there’s no denying his success. After founding
the swim team in 1959, Barshinger went on to a career mark of 226-38. His Streaks nabbed six
Central Penn League crowns (1972, ’74, ’75, ’77, ’78 and ’79) and six District Three titles (1964,
’69, ’70, ’72, ’74 and ’75). He also coached two PIAA champs, the 1962 medley relay team and
Scott Solodky, the 1969 100-yard winner.
While Barshinger stepped down from coaching in 1986, he stayed on at MT teaching health and
phys ed until his 1997 retirement. That’s when he was given what he still calls an “enormous
honor” – having the Township aquatics complex renamed the Ken Barshinger Natatorium.
In his retirement, besides being inducted to the Susquehanna Chapter of the Pennsylvania
Sports Hall of Fame and the Manheim Township Athletic Hall of Fame, Barshinger has remained
active in his sport. H served as a PIAA swim meet official from 2002-17, and still instructs adult
swimming courses at the Ephrata recCenter.
Pat Huggins, Lebanon Daily News Reporter
After his 1991 graduation from Elizabethtown College, Pat Huggins caught on at the Lebanon
Daily News as a stringer for the news department, covering school board and local municipality
meetings. That work led to Huggins, also a Lebanon High School grad, to begin covering local
high school football for the paper in 1997.
Two years later he was hired as a full-time sportswriter. He's remained at the paper ever since,
and in the last six or seven years has been a one-man band, working even while battling a
diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease. Huggins has devoted himself to providing in-depth, heartfelt
coverage of the area’s athletes.
“Covering Lebanon County sports is very important to me,” Huggins told Lebanon Sports Buzz
for a 2021 feature. “Lebanon is my hometown and I’ve always wanted it to have the best
possible coverage. It’s amazing how many great players and teams I’ve had the privilege of
covering. And they’ve impacted me just as much. I’ve been very fortunate and have some
wonderful memories.”
Mike Williams, Manheim Central Coach
At Manheim Central, Mike Williams blazed a long, staggeringly successful path through the
sports world, one that began in his own schoolboy days. A member of the Class of 1963,
Williams earned eight varsity letters in three sports: football, wrestling and baseball.
Starting in 1981, though, Williams grabbed the reins of Central’s football program, and held
on for well over three decades. By the time he stepped down as head coach at the conclusion
of the 2104 season, he’d amped the Barons up to Pennsylvania powerhouse status. The
Barons won 17 Lancaster-Lebanon League section titles, 16 District Three titles and a 2003
state championship during his tenure. His career record? 348-75-3, with five district coach of
the year honors and a pair of state coach of the year honors. All told, between his days as an
assistant and head coach, Williams has been on the sidelines for 605 football games at
Manheim Central.
Never one to be idle, Williams – a winner of the George W. Kirchner Award and inductee into
several halls of fame – also coached varsity or junior high wrestling for 22 years, and serves as
president of the Manheim Touchdown Club.
Todd Reitnouer, Garden Spot Coach, AD, Official
Coach. Athletic director. Official. Todd Reitnour’s CV is loaded with superlatives.
After joining the Garden Spot School district as a technology education teacher in 1981,
Reitnour stepped in immediately as an assistant field hockey coach. That was followed by roles
as an assistant track and field coach and head rifle coach. He ascended to the head coaching job
with Spartans field hockey in 1983 and spent 15 successful seasons at the helm, winning an L-L
title in 1991, District Three crowns in 1987 and 1991, and making it all the way to the state
semifinals in 1989 and 1990.
Reitnouer, who has been a PIAA field hockey umpire since 1998, became Spot’s athletic director
in 1999. He remained in that role until 2016, also taking on various L-L chair and committee
positions concurrently. He was named the league’s AD of the Year in 2013 and 2016, the same
year he also claimed District Three and Pennsylvania Region Five honors. He has also had stints
as interim athletic director at both Donegal and Hempfield.
Lee Gerdes, Cedar Crest Athlete, Conestoga Valley Coach
Lee Gerdes learned her craft under the tutelage of legends. Coming up in the forefront of the
1970s women’s sports movement, Gerdes played field hockey, basketball and tennis at Cedar
Crest, where she was in the Class of 1974 and coached by Helene Snyder. From there it was on
to West Chester, Class of 1978, and earning three national field hockey crowns for coach
Vonnie Gros. Oh yes, she had a stint on the USA National Field Hockey Team from 1977-81, too.
Gerdes followed that incredible playing career by sharing her knowledge with generations of
high school and college players in field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. During a 36-year
teaching career at Conestoga Valley, Gerdes was the Buckskins’ head coach for 35 years starting
in 1981. During her time at the district, she had an unofficial career record of 298 wins, 282
losses and 49 ties. In 2003, her Buckskins won the L-L championship. Gerdes also served as the
school’s girls basketball coach, and found time to coach lacrosse for 17 years at Franklin &
Marshall.
Reflecting on her lengthy career, Gerdes said she is perhaps proudest of three things: First, the
students who went on to earn scholarships that set them up academically to have successful
adult lives; second, her teams’ enduring culture, inspiring teammates to bond and remain
lifelong friends; and finally, watching as former players – and some of their parents – launched
successful coaching and officiating careers.