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Ben Patterson, a senior, has high expectations for this year’s Penn Manor wrestling team. Ben says we are “really solid” in the middle weights and at heavyweight. And individually he sees a competitive battle in his 160-172 weight class.

Last year Ben wrestled to 25 wins. His personal goals for this year are to lead his team by good example. He hopes to “stand on the podium” for Leagues and qualify for Districts.

Manheim Township and Hempfield are year in and year out tough team battles, but this year Ben sees Conestoga Valley as an
exceptionally tough team.

As a junior on Lampeter-Strasburg’s girls wrestling team, Avery Planck exudes excitement for the season to begin with a tournament at Dallastown High School. She says she and her teammates individually should be very successful, but with only 7 wrestlers on the team, it might be difficult to win a team match.

This year is Avery’s fourth year of wrestling -- three at LS high school and one in middle school. Her weight class is 136, though she may go to a lower weight class. She has 27 wins in her ongoing career.

Mia Parry, a senior, competes for Garden Spot despite Garden Spot not having a girls swim team.

Mia returns as a 200-yard individual medley gold medal winner in the 2025 Lancaster-Lebanon Swim Meet.  She also earned a silver medal in the 100-yard freestyle competition.  Her goal this year to win a state medal.  For this she hopes to lower her time in the freestyle races. Mia practices with the Reading YMCA Swim Team.

Garrett Aukamp, sophomore wrestler at Solanco, says his team’s quote is “How you do anything is how you do everything!”

This quote encourages his teammates to “push each other” to be better and to develop a good team chemistry.

Garrett sees his Solanco team as “young in age, but not in experience.” Several wrestlers return from last year's team as  letter winners.

Henry Paterson competes as a senior in his first year of swimming for McCaskey. Sprints are his specialty — 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke.  His goal is to break 50 seconds in the 100-yard fly and qualify for states.

In Henry’s prior years, he was home schooled while swimming for York YMCA (with 5:30 a.m. practices) and the Lancaster Aquatic Club. He concurrently swims for Lancaster Aquatic Club during the McCaskey swim team season.

Olivia Hirst contributes her “backstroke specialist” abilities to a powerhouse Elizabethtown girls swim team.  She competes in the 100-yard backstroke and the backstroke portion of the medley relay.  Additionally, she swims the 100-yard freestyle and the 400-yard freestyle relay.  

Olivia has qualified for the District 3 meet for three years as a backstroke member of the 200-yard medley relay.  

Kolton Kemp begins his second year as Manheim Township’s heavyweight wrestler. His record as a freshman was an impressive 25-11.

According to Kemp, Township will field a young, talented wrestling squad this year. Hempfield is a rival in wrestling, if not all sports.

Kemp looks toward a rematch with the Penn Manor heavyweight after last year’s match was tough battle.

Kemp has goals to do well, if not win, at Sections and Districts, along with qualifying for States.

Grayson Shellhammer, Ephrata High School, senior guard

How did a basketball first get in your hands and what has your journey been like since then?

Shellhammer: “My dad and his brothers played basketball. And my two older brothers played basketball. So they were always pressuring me. At first I would say, ‘No. I don’t want to play basketball. I’ll stick with soccer.’ Then I tried it in third grade. Loved it. Here I am today.”

“Stay hungry” says Andrew Gates, a senior 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard freestyle swimmer for Hempfield. The team trains to win its third Lancaster-Lebanon League title and fourth section title in a row.  “Stay hungry” seems good inspiration for his teammates and him.

Individual goals for Hempfield’s team are qualifying as many swimmers as possible for “getting to states” and especially a relay team with eyes on a medal.

Sawyer Esbenshade, Conestoga Valley High School, senior

How did you first get a basketball in your hand and what has been your journey since then?

Esbenshade: “Probably my dad put a ball in my hands when I was three years old. Starting playing upward.”

How many siblings do you have and how has that impacted you as a player?