Section champion, district runner-up and a trip to the state quarterfinals last season is not the best Lancaster Country Day's tennis team has accomplished. Players are optimistic for more with their No. 1 player returning after not playing last year because of an injury.
Players attending media day:
(from left)
Lianna Harkin, senior
Ella Davis, senior
Sienna Castelli, senior
Taylor Smith, senior
Lampeter-Strasburg completed a 14-1 season last year, losing only in the state championship game to Bonner-Prendergast 40-14. But it was a banner season for Coach Victor Ridenour's team. The District 3 champions will need to replace a number of starters but return key players this year.
Tight end Keegan Curtis (top right in photo) and fullback Mitchell Swarr (bottom right) will lead the offense.
Curtis says, "We have all the athletes and mindset from last year. The senior class is looking to lead the team and prove ourselves again."
Solanco's top cross country runners say they like to reach the state tournament this year.
Runners attending media day:
(from left in photo)
Isaac Esh, senior
Nate Reese, junior
Esh and Reese lead an experienced Solanco cross country team into the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 season.
Esh, a four-year runner, has a goal to lower his home course time to a sub-17:00 personal record, and Reese is working to
get below 18:00.
Columbia has a rich history in athletics and football. Last year was one of the toughest for the Crimson Tide team, going 0-10. Columbia will try to rebound this year with a number of returning starters back for new Coach Nate Bagley. He says it's "important to do the little things right."
Xavion Jones (left in photo), a tight end and linebacker, will be a key player.
He says, "It's important to stick together, and last year built character." He likes to play both sides of the ball, but defense may have an edge: "You get to hit people."
Even just one goal a game can turn a losing record into a winning one, Solanco assistant girls soccer coach Remington Wright says.
With eight seniors graduating from last year's team and only one senior returning, Garden Spot field hockey will be counting on its juniors to lead the way this season.
Players attending media day:
Aliyah Zimmerman (left), junior, forward
Alyssa Swatski, junior, defender
Penn Manor's Justin Onderonk reflects on last football season, 2-4 in Section 1, 2-7 overall, as being one of adversity, but he has plans to tackle that opponent this coming season.
Players attending media day:
(from left)
Justin Onderonk, senior, offensive tackle, defensive end
Collin Robinson, senior, quarterback, defensive back
Jalen Dupree, junior, slot receiver, safety
Elijah Hess, senior, offensive guard, defensive tackle
Entering just their second season as an official member of the Lancaster-Lebanon League, Donegal golfers make a bold prediction: Top contender to win Section 3.
Attending media day:
(from left)
Andrew Fabian, senior
Ryan Smeltz, junior
Coach Trent Hoffmaster
James Peterson, senior
Lancaster Catholic is looking to improve on a 7-5 record last season. Coach Chris Maiorino (left, below) says "expectations are to to get better each and every day. There's excitement about the talent coming back."
That talent includes running back Brandon Way Jr., a Villanova commit. He's coming off a big season when he rushed for 1,816 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. The Crusaders will be looking for Way to lead the way on offense.
Bryan Strohl calls it a “next-man-up mentality.”
Strohl, Cocalico’s head coach since 2020, has won two-thirds of his games and a pair of section championships, and now he wants his new crop of seniors to carry the ball, literally, in 2025.
“We’ve had a pretty good run the last few years,” he notes. “We’ve lost some good, quality kids, but we have some good, quality kids to replace them.”