Category: Sports

By Alex Kirk –

To most people, running is a punishment that causes the body a great deal of pain.  To Greta Lindsley, it’s a hobby, a sport and a lifestyle.

“I love to run and I like to work hard at practice,” said Lindsley.

Ever since she was young, Lindsley has been an extraordinarily fast competitor.  She ran for Pequea Elementary in the district fun run every year since kindergarten.  While this event primarily focused on participation of students from the schools rather than the competition, Lindsley always placed in the top two of her grade.  She had a strong rivalry with Eshleman’s Alisa Herr and the two girls battled for first place every year since kindergarten.

“I started running in kindergarten in the Millersville Borough Park fun runs,” said Lindsley.  “I just did it to get in shape earlier in elementary school, but I started liking it a lot in seventh grade.”

Her inspiration to become a great runner comes from her father, Todd Lindsley, who ran track and field all the way through high school and college and is still a current record holder at the College of William and Mary.  He has coached her ever since she was little by taking her running and teaching her a strong work ethic.   He still pushes her to be the fastest she can be.

“My dad has influenced my running career A LOT,” exclaimed Lindsley.  “He works my butt off over the summer, literally everyday.  He had a lot of success as a high school and college runner and I’d love to follow in his footsteps.”

Lindsley, now in her sophomore year at Penn Manor,  has just finished her second season of cross country for the Comets. Last season she was undefeated in league competition and was crowned the LL League Champion.  She placed fourth in districts and did not run in states because of an illness.  This year, she remained unbeaten in the regular season and won the league title yet again.  She finished first at Hershey and added a District Three Title to her resume.  When states came around, she was healthy and eager to contend for the top spot.  States was held at the same course as districts, so knowing the course helped her prepare for the big event.  She concluded her season with an impressive eighth-place finish in her first-ever state appearance.

“At districts, I was really nervous because I came in fourth last year and I wanted to do better, but I didn’t know how well I was going to do,” recalled Lindsley.  “I worked the hills just like I was told to do to win and it worked out just like that.  I’m very happy with how I did.”

This year she was also named to the 2011 Second All-State Cross Country Team. She was selected for this honor by a committee of the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association. The award was presented for her honors received, her quality and consistency of performance and her head to head competition.

Lindsley has ambitions to further her running career after high school.   Even though she is  too young to officially talk to any college coaches, she knows that she would like to continue the sport at the collegiate level.

“I plan to hopefully be a helpful member on a collegiate cross country or track team,” she said.

This star still has unbelievable potential for the remainder of her high school career. With her upperclassmen years around the corner, Penn Manor sports fans are  eager to watch her continue to dominate in the future.

“It’s exciting to think that she has two whole seasons left,” said fellow teammate and sophomore classmate Starrett Metzler.  “I’m excited to see what more she is capable of.”

By Samuel B. Valentin-

The Comets looked to bounce back following a crushing defeat in the district championship on Saturday. They did just that on Tuesday night.

Despite a late arrival by the Maidens, the Comets picked up a 2-0 win to advance to a quarterfinal match-up against defending state champions, Emmaus on Saturday.

The McCoy twins powered the lady Comets to the victory. Emily McCoy scored the first goal less than seven minutes into the game. Her twin sister, Eryn McCoy drove in the second goal for the Comets.

“We played a good first half,” said Comets coach, Matt Soto in a tone that he expected more out of his girls but was satisfied with the victory.

His tone was less than satisfying on Saturday after the Comets could not handle the Falcons in the district three Championship game in Hershey. The Comets lost a one nothing heart-breaker to Lower Dauphin to claim second place in districts.

Soto reiterated after both games that they have a lot to work to do between games. Well they seemed to have figured it out before their state game. Well see on Saturday at noon at Exeter High School if they made enough changes to get redemption on Emmaus.

By Taylor Goldberg –

“Basically, it’s a bruised brain,” said Penn Manor School Nurse, Anne Butterfield.

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a fall or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. Although there may be cuts or bruises on the head or face, there may be no other visible signs of a brain injury, according to WebMD.

Causes of concussions vary, including: fights, falls, playground injuries, car crashes and bike accidents. Concussions can also happen while participating in any sport or activity such as football, boxing, hockey, soccer or even cheerleading.

A new bill going through the state legislature will set specific requirements for coaches if any athletes suffer head injuries.  The bill, known as the Safety in Youth Sports Act, also increases the awareness and prevention of head injuries among athletes in school-sponsored athletics.

The bill requires students showing symptoms of a concussion to be sidelined and kept from participating in games, competitions, scrimmages and practices until cleared by a doctor.

It also requires students and their parents to review information regarding the risk of head injuries and concussions and sign an information sheet every year before participating in scholastic sports activities, and requires coaches to be trained in the risk of brain injury in sports.

High school junior and varsity cheerleader Mackzenie Payne could be labeled as the queen of concussions. Payne is still recovering from her most recent.

“I’ve had five,” said Payne. “My first concussion I fell out of a stunt cheerleading. It messed up my vision and I had to attend vision therapy for a year. I had to get glasses.”

Payne’s concussions weren’t just a bump on the head, she has experienced some fairly traumatic situations. Not all of Payne’s concussions were due to cheerleading. Two of them were other accidents, one in a car and another on a four-wheeler.

“My third one, I was in a car accident and hit my head on the windshield,” stated Payne. She actually cracked the windshield with her head. “People don’t realize that even if you aren’t unconscious, it can still really affect you.”

It is not always easy to know if someone has a concussion. A person doesn’t have to pass out (lose consciousness) to have a concussion.

Symptoms of concussions include: thinking and remembering, physical discomfort, changes in emotion and sleeping habits.  People with concussions have problems thinking clearly, concentrating and sometimes problems remembering the event in which it happened. Symptoms of a concussion range from mild to severe and can last for hours, days, weeks or even months.

“I was zoning out a lot,” said Dylan Weber, Penn Manor senior and football player. “If you play a sport and get a concussion, be prepared to be out for, like, 3 weeks.”

Weber experienced his first and only concussion in August 2010 when former Penn Manor graduate Garrett Young tackled him, forcing Weber’s neck to go backwards, clenching his teeth together.

People with concussions are prone to very strong headaches, dizziness and nausea. People are usually very emotional and frustrated and tired. When people get concussions their sleeping habits change a lot and they sleep either more than usual or not at all.

“People can get hit in the head, be diagnosed with a concussion and have symptoms anywhere from a week to several weeks,” said Butterfield. “A physician may make the recommendation that a student not attend academic studies in order to give the brain a rest.”

For young people, ages 15 to 24 years, sports are the second leading cause of traumatic brain injury behind only motor vehicle crashes.

“I was concussed,” said Weber.

By Sam Valentin and Matt Hatch–

Penn Manor put on a great game as they held off Warwick in overtime.

“Feels better than last time,” said Coach Matt Soto.

The Comets faced the Warriors three times this season only winning one of the games.

Warwick beat Penn Manor for the League Championship just two weeks earlier.

The field hockey team got off to a quick start with Shannon Sloss scoring a goal in the first half.

The game was quiet for almost the rest of the game as the teams went back and forth trying to put in rebounds.

Then Warwick got a huge goal with two minutes left in the game.

The game was sent to overtime with only seven players out on the field compared to eleven in the regular time.

This is just what Penn Manor needed to win the game with Eryn McCoy ripping a shot two minutes into overtime for the win.

The Comets stormed the field hugging the starters as they now are heading to the District Championship at Milton Hershey.

“Great game, I am speechless,” said senior starter, Vicky Nase. “Felt like the championship game but we have one more.”

Penn Manor plays Lower Dauphin Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for the district Title.

By Becca Frankford-

In a heated match last night against Central York, Penn Manor’s Girls Volleyball came out on top once again.

“The team and I were happy that we won but we think we can still do better,” said coach Staub.

In a match to the best of five, Penn Manor lost the first game (25-27) and then proceeded to overcome Central York in the next three games to go on to win overall (25-22, 25-22, 25-23), respectively.

With their win against Central York, the Comets will play at Dallastown again tomorrow night against Hempfield.

“Its going to be a battle, we have to play well because they are a very good team,” said Staub.

The girls will start off their battle against Hempfield at 3:00pm on Saturday afternoon.

Their line-up includes Myranda Kemrer, Caroline Raush, Dana Mowbray, Nicole Harnish, Cassidy and Remi Sangrey, and Jessie Greenslade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Kevin Holton-

Many people are aggravated when it comes to bone-chilling temperatures, but for hunters, it is anything but.

Cold weather can make a hunter’s spot in the woods a paradise.  While some Penn Manor students hate to see the bad weather hit so soon, other students couldn’t be happier.

“Cold weather is the best for hunting, deer move around a lot more,” said Penn Manor senior David Schneider.

According to Ezilon.com, white tailed deer tend to be more active during cold weather rather than warm weather.  In warm weather, deer like to settle down in cool, dense areas where as in colder weather, they experience and adrenaline rush and like to roam around to stay warm.

“Around here, warm weather is almost the worst weather to hunt in.  I hardly see anything,” said Penn Manor senior James Frese.

Deer, like many animals, also have an amazing sense of when Mother Nature is changing and storms or other bad weather is coming.  Since whitetails are herbivores, they only eat plants. So, with temperatures decreasing and winter approaching, deer scramble to find food before the bad weather sets in for good and food sources become scarce.

Since the temperature decreases earlier in the year, deer begin to get out and eat all they can before the winter hits.  This causes them to be more interested in food and less interested in predators causing hunters to see them more.

‘There’s been so many deer out lately just roaming around eating plants, ” said Frese.

According to the farmers almanac, this winter is going to be cold and wet.  The weather around our area will be unusually cold and stormy.

“I cant wait to hunt this winter, I’m gonna be killing all sorts of deer,” said Penn Manor senior, Patrick Sarvard.

 

By Becca Frankford –

Tuesday night Penn Manor Girls Volleyball took second place in pool play against Spring Grove, Cumberland Valley, and Garden Spot.

“We played up and down. Sometimes we did well, sometimes not so good,” coach Staub said about Tuesday’s matches.

Tonight they will head to Hempfield High School to go against Central York at 7:30 pm.

Coach Staub said the he expects tonight’s game to be,”very difficult match… if we do the things we want to do we can win.”

If the Comets win in their pool tonight then they will proceed to move on to the district semi- finals on Saturday.

The fierce Comet lineup includes Nicole Harnish, twins Cassidy and Remi Sangrey, Jessie Greenslade, Myranda Kemrer, Dana Mowbray, and Caroline Raush.

“Every team when you get this far will be good,” Staub said about the potential competition he and the team may face at tonight’s match.

 

 

 

By Sam Valentin and Travis Wells-

In a double overtime thriller that had fans on their feet, the Comets picked up a hard fought victory against Central Dauphin on Wednesday night.

Emily McCoy banged home the game winner for the Comets in the 87 minute, which slates them a semifinal game against Warwick. It also gets them a berth into the state playoffs.

The lady Comets started off the scoring when Eryn McCoy scored off an assist by Shannon Sloss 14 minutes into the game. But the Rams did not take long to answer when Katie Foran scored just before the half. The game would remain tied for 57 minutes which included some very rough play, pressure, some cards, warnings and even some elbows.

“It toughened us up…,”said Penn Manor coach Matt Soto who notched his 501 win. He earned 500 late last week with a win over Cedar Cliff.

The Comets will face the LL league Champions, Warriors at Hempfield on Thursday at 6pm. This will be the fourth meeting between the two league rivals with the series being at 2-1, going the Warriors way so far. Both teams picked up a win on the opposing teams field during the regular season but that all changed once the LL league playoffs rolled around. The last meeting between these powerhouses was an overtime thriller full of emotions. It was a crushing defeat at Warwick. This game also crowned the Warriors LL league Champions, a title the Lady Comets wanted. So this game could be another defeat at the hands of the Warriors or redemption for the title they stole from them.

“We owe them one,” Said Soto. “It will be a fun game.”

The players won’t be joking around once that game clock starts running though.

The winner of this game would face the winner of the Hempfield vs. Lower Dauphin game at Milton Hershey Stadium at 2:30 on Saturday.

In note, the last time the girls lost the LL league title they took home states. This was 2008 so most of the players don’t remember this but for most seniors its a vivid memory.

By Becca Frankford –

After a heartbreaking fifth game loss to Hempfield Wednesday during league play, Penn Manor girls volleyball is ready to redeem themselves.

Teams from around the district will compete for the district title Today at 4:30pm at the Dallastown High School.

The starting line up for Penn Manor includes, twins Cassidy and Remi Sangrey, Nicole Harnish, Jessie Greenslade, Dana Mowbray, Myranda Kemrer and Caroline Raush.

Coach Jarod Staub will take JV players along but plans to only play his varsity girls.

“I expect it to be a long night of good volleyball. If we can do all the things we practice, we should do well,” head varsity coach, Jarod Staub said on his expectations for tonight’s events.

The Comets will take on Spring Grove, Cumberland Valley and Garden Spot tonight.

“Must win,” Staub said reffering to their goal.  If the Comets win this evening, they will play Thursday. After playoffs, Comets hope to be in the semi-finals and then win the district finals for the first time.

“Its a good group of girls. They work hard and are fun to be around,” Staub said.

The Comet’s coach said he doesn’t need to offer incentives for his team to play hard.

Staub said, “Winning is its own reward.”

By Mark Dano-

After losing four seniors, Penn Manor Basketball may not necessarily be looking to rebuild for the future. They are looking to compete now.

“I think we can compete for a section title,” said junior guard Brady Charles, who is looking to be a major contributor.

The last time the Comets won a section title was 1972.

The team seems to forget the last 40 years.  They know they can succeed, but they need their new leaders to step up.

The team will be led by seniors Marc Summy and Landon Alexcih.  These two will be the core of the team, on and off the court, according to teammates including Charles.

“I try to always be a positive voice,” said Alexcih. “I always try to keep my teammates motivated.”

While Summy and Alexcih are key to the squad’s success, they can only get so far without the help from their role players.

Good thing there’s no shortage of support for the duo.  Senior guards David Burch, David Mohimani and Jay Jackson will provide wing play.  Joey Jackson and Alex Quinn will contribute rebounding and post play.  In addition to these experienced players, juniors Brady Charles, Daulton Parmer and Adam Hess will be important role players as well.  6’7 sophomore David Carmichael will also add size and rebounding to the team.

Another important piece of the puzzle will be senior guard Reagan Forrey. Forrey left Penn Manor after his sophomore year to attend Elizabethtown High School. Now he has returned home for his senior campaign.

“He’s been playing well,” said Alexcih. “Reagan’s a welcome addition.”

The Comets will also be able to rely on quality coaching.

The experienced Charlie Detz will enter his third season as head coach. Detz was a two time All-American at Franklin & Marshall College as a player.  He eventually went on to coach at Columbia High School and F&M before coming to Penn Manor.

Assisting Detz for the second season will be Larry Bellew. Bellew began as the assistant coach for Warren Goodling at rival Hempfield High School in 1999. Goodling retired in 2010. After not being selected as the new Hempfield head coach, Bellew left the school and became the new assistant coach at Penn Manor.

While the Comets have many things going for them, they will face some adversity.

Marc Summy, who has played on the varsity team since his freshman year, is nursing an Achilles injury. Summy still attended open gyms and exhibition games, but as a spectator from the sidelines instead of leading the team on the court. Players and staff hope that Summy will be ready for the start of the season.

“He’s looked good, but is still hurting a little,” said Alexcih. “We can’t go games without Marc.”

Another problem is that they will face very competitive teams.

McCaskey, the defending Section I champion, return most of their line up from last year. They also get a surge from transfer Devonne Pinkard, who led Lancaster Catholic to a District 3 championship.

Manheim Township has a an experienced roster that will include Jomar Guerrero, Billy Vaughan-Geib, Cory Stoltz, and Niki Veronis.

After losing many players to graduation last year, Drew Johnson and Mark Mangold will attempt to guide Hempfield to another solid season.

Penn Manor understands the talent that they’ll be up against, but they have a strategy for success.

“We won’t necessarily be better than anyone else, but we’re just going to have to out work and out hustle our opponents,” said senior forward Joey Jackson.

The season kicked off with the first practice on November 18. The team had their first scrimmage Tuesday at Hershey and will have another on December 3 when they host CD East. The first games will come December 9 and 10 at the LS Tip Off Classic.