Ryleigh Warner, Ephrata High School, senior, midfielder
Q: What’s your origin story with lacrosse?
Warner: “I’ve been playing since third grade. It’s been awhile. I think my mom was like, ‘You want to play lacrosse?’ I tried it. I do that in the spring and I play field hockey in the fall. I have been playing ever since. When I was in fifth grade I met an eighth grader, Grace Willets, who really inspired me to continue playing lacrosse.”
Ephrata star long distance runner Kyle Reidenbaugh remembers how he got started running.
"It was during Covid. I wanted to get healthy and it was something I could do alone. It was accessible and I kept going," Reidenbaugh said. He also credits his sister for inspiriing him to run track and cross country.
The junior runs the 3200 and 1600 meter races. While he is competitive, Reindenbaugh says it's not cutthroat.
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.”
After a trip deep into the District 3 playoffs, Ephrata football just missed the playoffs a year ago and Austin Bryant says the team has a remedy. "I think we build off of that by correcting those little things that we made last year," he says.
Players attending media day:
Dustin Hoover (top), senior, fullback, inside linebacker
Carson Martin (below left), junior, quarterback, linebacker
Austin Bryant (below right), senior, wide receiver, safety, cornerback