Today marks the first practice date of the 2023 Spring Sports Season. Good luck to all LL athletes as they work towards the LL League Postseason presented by Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster, and beyond!
2023 Boys Tennis Playoffs Team Tournament Preliminary Round Thursday, April 22nd at higher seed Semifinals Monday, April 24th at higher seed Finals Tuesday, April 25th at Donegal Flight Tournament Day 1 Thursday, April 27th at Conestoga Valley and McCaskey Day 2 Saturday, April 29th at Conestoga Valley Day 3 (Finals), Monday, May 1st at Conestoga Valley
2023 Baseball Playoffs Quarterfinals Thursday, May 11, Section Champions host Section II Champ vs Section III Runner-up Section IV Champ vs Section I Runner-up Section III Champ vs Section II Runner-up Section I Champ vs Section IV Runner-up Semifinals Saturday, May 13th at Ephrata’s War Memorial Field, games at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Finals Monday, May 15th at Clipper Magazine Stadium, 7 p.m.
2023 Track and Field Championships Friday, May 12th at Hempfield, 4 p.m. Saturday, May 13th at Hempfield, 10 a.m.
2023 Softball Playoffs Quarterfinals Saturday, May 13th, better seed hosts Semifinals Tuesday, May 16th, at Millersville University Finals Thursday, May 18th at Millersville University
2023 Boys Volleyball Playoffs Semifinals Monday, May 15th at Section 2 Champion Finals Wednesday, May 17th
2023 Girls Lacrosse Playoffs Semifinals Tuesday, May 16th at Conestoga Valley, games at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Finals Thursday, May 18th at Penn Manor, 7 p.m. (follows Boys Lacrosse finals)
2023 Boys Lacrosse Playoffs Semifinals Tuesday, May 16th at Ephrata, games at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Finals Thursday, May 18th at Penn Manor, 5 p.m. (precedes Girls Lacrosse finals)
Presidents’ Day Weekend traditionally marks the end of the league postseason and the start of the District postseason. 2023 is no different as singles bowling champions were crowned and basketball championships were decided in the LL League Championships presented by Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster.
On the oiled hardwood Morgan Kline of ELCO was the top bowler in the Girls Singles competition after the first 6 games, wracking up 1405 which was nearly 200 ahead of #2 Taylor Miller of Warwick. Lacey Slaymaker of Penn Manor was #5 but emerged from the Step Ladder bracket to face Miller. Miller won that matchup, but fell to Kline 224-203 as Kline brought home the gold.
Later that night the hardwood was dry and the ball bouncy as Lebanon and Columbia took the floor for the Girls Basketball Championship sponsored by Fulton Bank.
Columbia came out on top 51-44 to win their second LL League Girls Basketball Championship.
Friday the boys took the lanes for the Boys Singles competition. Nathan Barnica of Ephrata led after 6 games, shooting a 1336. Zach Wentzel of Elizabethtown was third overall and emerged from the step ladder tournament to face #2 Nick Tomlinson of Manheim Township. Tomlinson prevailed and went on to beat Barnica 219-143 to win the boys crown.
The last league event of the season was the Boys Basketball Championship sponsored by Fulton Bank. Hempfield held off Manheim Central 57-46 to break through to the gold medal after several runner up finishes in recent year.
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.
The 2023 League Swimming Championships and League Rifle Championships presented by Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster wrapped up today.
On the rifle range, Leksi Bender of Garden Spot shot 200 with 2 Centers to claim the crown. In the team race, Manheim Township put 3 in the top ten en route to the team championship. Check out the complete results courtesy of the LL League Rifle Coaches website.
In the pool, day two of the All League Swim Meet wrapped up at Wilson. Event winners were:
In the team scoring Hempfield outlasted Manheim Township to win their 5th LL League Championship. The roles were flipped in the boys race, with Manheim Township claiming their 10th LL League Championship.
Today also saw the Girls Basketball field reduced from 8 to 4 as the section champions hosted, and won, the quarterfinals in the Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster LL League Girls Basketball tournament, sponsored by Fulton Bank.
Lebanon 63, Pequea Valley 42 Lancaster Catholic 44, Ephrata 28 Manheim Central 56, Lampeter-Strasburg 22 Columbia 61, Manheim Township 52
Lebanon faces Lancaster Catholic at 5:30 on February 14th, Manheim Central goes against Columbia at 7. Both games will be at Warwick.
The fields are set for the Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster LL League Basketball Championships presented by Fulton Bank.
Its ladies first as the Girls Quarterfinals kick off Saturday, February 11th Quarterfinals: Saturday, February 11th at Section Champions Pequea Valley at Lebanon at 1 p.m. Ephrata at Lancaster Catholic at 7 p.m. Lampeter-Strasburg at Manheim Central at 1 p.m. (Doe Run Elementary) Manheim Township at Columbia at 1 p.m.* Semifinals: Tuesday, February 14th at Warwick, games at 5:30 and 7 p.m. Finals: Thursday, February 16th at 7 p.m. at Manheim Township 2023 Girls Basketball Bracket
The Boys get going on Monday, February 13th Quarterfinals: Monday, February 13th, Section Champions host, all games at 7 p.m. Lancaster Mennonite at Hempfield Warwick at Lampeter-Strasburg Octorara at Manheim Central (Doe Run elementary)* Cedar Crest at Columbia* Semifinals: Wednesday, February 15th at Conestoga Valley, games at 5:30 and 7 p.m. Finals: Friday, February 17th at 7 p.m. at Manheim Township 2023 Boys Basketball Bracket
Congratulations to Elizabethtown, emerging as the 2023 Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster LL League Bowling team champion.
The Bears were section runners-up coming in to the tournament and beat Section 3 Champion LS to advance to the semifinals. In the semis Section 2 Champ Ephrata fell, and fellow runner-up Penn Manor (who had also beat their section champion en route to the finals) was the final team to fall.
The singles tournaments are next week, Girls on Thursday, 2/16 at Palmyra Bowling Center. Boys on Friday, 2/17 at Leisure Lanes.
As previously announced, the LL League Team Bowling Tournament presented by Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster will take place on Wednesday, February 8th starting at 9 a.m. at Rocky Springs (this is a change from 2/14).
Section Champions Hempfield, Ephrata, Lampeter-Strasburg and Columbia lead the field, with runners up Northern Lebanon, Penn Manor, Elizabethtown and Manheim Central also getting tournament berths.
Although the LL League does not sponsor Junior High Championships, the de facto Junior High Championships are wrestling are put on by the Elizabethtown Optimist Club. The tournament is in its 47th year, and history was made as Donegal won their first ever team title in the tournament.
Individual champions were:
Weight
Wrestler
Team
80
Alan Shimp
Ephrata
87
Zane Gardner
Donegal
94
Joey Gallo
Hempfield
101
Caden Boland
Penn Manor
108
Chase Breneman
Cocalico
115
Greyson Music
Annville-Cleona
122
Andrew Messner
Cocalico
130
Tanner Kane
Conestoga Valley
138
Klint Miller
ELCO
145
Chase Harnish
Penn Manor
155
Declan Haines
Penn Manor
170
Brady Allessie
Donegal
190
Cameron Buchmoyer
Lebanon
210
Michael Henretty
Solanco
250
Derryck Brickle
Lebanon
Outstanding Wrestler was Klint Miller of ELCO, as voted by the coaches. Xander Harrison of Donegal led pinners, racking up 4 in only 4:11
The 2023 LL League Wrestling Championships presented by Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster and promoted by Lancaster Alliance Wrestling are in the books.
In the team race Hempfield defended their 2022 title and won their 6th overall. Northern Lebanon was second, and Manheim Central rounded out the top three.
The Lancaster Lebanon Wrestling Championships presented by Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster and promoted by Lancaster Alliance Wrestling gets underway today, Friday, January 27th at Manheim Township. First whistle blows at 4:30 p.m.
Tournament live scoring and updates will be available on TrackWrestling. Brackets will be released to the public following weigh-ins. The finals will be broadcast live on BlueRidge Cable and replayed on PCN statewide at 7 p.m.
Back again this year is the River Rock Challenge Girls Wrestling Tournament. That tournament will run side by side with the boys’ tournament on Saturday.
Event Schedule:
Session I – Friday at 4:30 p.m. on 6 mats
Pigtails
Preliminaries (round of 16)
Consolation Round 1 (pigtails)
Championship Quarterfinals
Consolation Round 2
Consolation Round 3
8 wrestlers in each weight class will advance to Saturday
