The Cardinals having an amazing regular season and, after clinching the wild card, have ended up tied to the Rangers in game 7 of the World Series tonight.
Chris Carpenter is scheduled to start for the Cardinals tonight going up against Rangers starting pitcher Matt Harrison. If Carpenter is called to pitch tonight it would be a short rest start for a starting pitcher. A short rest start can be a huge difference for starting pitchers. They get into certain routines that they follow all season and ruining this can cause problems.
Image courtesy of www.wjila.com
Harrison, surprised by having to start for the Rangers tonight because of the 9-10 defeat last night caused by Freese’s walk off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning.
“I’ll definitely be watching the game tonight,” said senior Logan White,” I stayed up last night to finish game six and it was insane. I can’t wait to see the game tonight.”
At first the Cardinals thought it was just a pinky bruise on Matt Holliday’s right pinky Thursday night after sliding into third base, but it ended up being a wrist sprain. So tonight rookie Adron Chambers is scheduled to take his place. Chambers is 1 for 5 with 2 RBI’s in this post season.
According to cbslocal.com, Freese tweeted a couple hours after the game,”Not much to say but thanks everybody. Like I said though… unfinished business. One more.”
Penn Manor’s rally after the first set was not enough to hold the Black Knights from a win during last Wednesday’s League Championship Girl’s Volleyball game.
Penn Manor Comets see themselves taking the lead in last Wednesday's League Championship Volleyball game. Photo by Eric Schlotzhauer
To start off the game, the Black Knights came out strong. Leading Penn Manor Comets’ throughout the whole first set, they dominated them in a 25-10 win.
Penn Manor did not stay quiet for long. Effortless spikes from junior Jessie Greenslade allowed the Comets to take the set 25-19 and tied it up at one game a piece.
With all the momentum in their favor, Penn Manor played astounding in the third set, showing an inspiring performance and causing the fans to react in roaring applause. They took the win after great defense in front of the net by Cassie Sangrey and took the lead two sets to one.
Penn Manor trying to hold their lead in last Wednesday's League Championship game. Photo by Eric Schlotzhauer.
The two-game rally executed by the Comets wasn’t enough to silence the reigning state champions. They fired back and picked away at the Comets defeating them 25-14, and tying it at two all, making it necessary for a first to 15, fifth and final set, to determine who would become the league champions.
Both teams had everything to lose in the fifth set. The desperation and desire to win was evident in the eyes of all the players.
With the game tied at 10-10 in the fifth set, Hempfield began to show why they were projected to be just as good this year as last year. They took the lead 11-10 and showed to be too much for the Comets, winning 15-12 and taking the title 3-2.
Both teams will be looking to go far in districts when they play their first games this upcoming Tuesday.
Hard work and good technique make any team successful.
The Penn Manor ice hockey team has those qualities, but this year it’s lacking players.
Only having nine guys will be a challenge because there must be a goalie and five players on the ice at all times, leaving the Comets with only three subs.
“If we had more players, we would be a better team,” said junior Nick Young.
Photographed by Jason Green
Other teams could have an advantage due to a larger team. Each player will need to stay in the game longer, increasing physical and mental tiredness.
Practice started in September and the first game will be held on November 14 at 8:45 pm against Palmyra at Kick Lewis arena.
“We are going to do well,” said junior Kevin Reinhart.
This year marks Reinhart’s eleventh year of playing. His experience in the game led him to predict that the teams to beat are Hempfield, Warwick and L-S.
“I think if we practice hard we will have a good chance of winning,” said Young.
Some team members had differing opinions.
“We are not going to do very good because other teams have twenty players,” said senior Jamie Frese.
Out of the nine players one is a girl, senior Jesse Capanelli.
“I think we will be competitive this season,” said Capanelli. “We have a lot of people that didn’t play last year like Jamie Freese and a couple juniors who are going to this year so that should be a big help.”
Capanelli doesn’t mind being the only girl on the team because she played with the guys since middle school.
“She is one of the best players,” noted Frese.
Another issue with the ice hockey team is a lack of fan and financial support. Hockey is not played at the school, causing a lack in community awareness. The team also is not sponsored by the school, making the cost to play higher than that of a typical high school sport.
The team hopes for success, more players and more fans this season.
The Penn Manor soccer team fell short in districts again.
The boys soccer team has never made it to districts, and on Monday the Comets got denied again. They were shutout by Garden Spot 1-0 who had a late goal to stun Penn Manor.
“This game could be the final game ever for the seniors,” said Steve McCabe after the game, with tears in his eyes.
It was an emotional night for the seniors because they won’t ever play for Penn Manor again, or possibly play another school game for the rest of their lives.
“It sucks,” said Austin Rowley, a senior and three-year varsity player.
The Comets offense didn’t seem to show up, and they didn’t have many opportunities to score.
The Comets came into the game expecting a win against Garden Spot, because they were the higher seed.
The game went back and forth until finally the Spartans capitalized on a goal in the final five minutes of the game.
Penn Manor didn’t have an answer and as the time ran out, they fell to the ground in shock.
The players hugged coach McCabe after the game was over.
“Walk across the field, with your heads held high,” said McCabe, “You guys turned this program around.”
Even though they were eliminated, they still had a great season with a record of 9-5-1.
“I’m really really proud,” said McCabe after the game.
With another early ending to a winning season the Comets can only wait until next season for their chance to make districts.
He first touched a football when he was six years old.
“My Dad would throw balls at me,” said junior football player Daulton Parmer. “It was always fun.”
Ten years later, Daulton Parmer now holds the record for the most receptions in Penn Manor history. The record was sitting at 68 receptions. Going into last Friday’s game against Warwick, Parmer had 66 receptions. After an eight catch game, Parmer shattered the record in only his junior season.
Teammates and coaches are not surprised by the success Parmer has had.
“He might not be the tallest or strongest out there,” said captain linebacker Dylan Weber, “but he practices hard and his routes are perfect.”
Daulton Parmer grabbed attention at a Under Armour combine. Photo courtesy of underarmour.com
“In meetings and practices he listens closely to what coaches say and then he goes out and does it,” said head football coach Todd Mealy. “Daulton works hard, having committed to the standard of no bad practices. A player with his level of talent and football smarts who works as hard as he does has a chance to do great things.”
Parmer has become an essential piece in the Comets’ offense.
“I’d describe Daulton as a possession receiver,” said Mealy. “He averages about 12 yards a reception, which means nearly every time he catches a pass he gets the team a first down.”
This type of receiver has the ability to make life easy on their coach.
“As a play-caller, I don’t have to call a pass to get him open,” said Mealy. “He has the ability to adjust his routes that find him sitting in open areas.”
Parmer’s capabilities on the football field don’t end as a wide out.
“He contributes in all facets of the game, offense, defense and special teams,” said Mealy. “He’s out about a dozen plays a game, which isn’t much. On average, there are about 140 plays in a high school game.”
Over the course of his career, Parmer has built a formidable reputation as a return specialist.
“They don’t kick or punt to me anymore,” said Parmer.
Leading the LL league in interceptions, Parmer has also developed into a top defensive back.
“He’s played good enough to be an all league player at all three phases,” said Mealy.
Mealy has been coaching for a while and has had the fortune to see some spectacular wide receivers.
“I’ve been fortunate to have coach some talented wide receivers since I started coaching almost 15 years ago. That includes Danny Melendez, who played at Maryland, and many other speedy wide outs who played for me at McCaskey and Penn Manor,” said Mealy.”In comparison to a vertical threat like a former teammate of his, Demetrius Dixon, Daulton can do more.”
Dixon has seen much success in the football world, and is currently playing for Division 1 Lafayette College. Parmer may have a bright future as well.
“He’s an above average athlete and a terrific high school football player. It’s going to be up to Daulton and his family to decide where he plays in college,” said Mealy. “Because of his height and speed, he’d be a star for any Division-3 program. Yet, I think he’s talented enough to play for any PSAC school or for some D1-AA schools.”
While Parmer and his supporters look towards the future, there is another record that has their full attention.
“I need about 40 yards to have the most reception yards in school history,” said Parmer.
New boys soccer coach, Coach McCabe hopes to lead the Comets to districts.
Penn Manor soccer team fought their way into a preliminary game against Garden Spot.
New head coach, Steve McCabe, led the Comets into their game on Monday night against the Spartans at Comet field at 6 p.m.
“Coach McCabe really lightened the mood and he taught us a lot this season,” said junior soccer player Kevin Reinhart.
The Comets had a tough schedule to get to where they are, facing off against Manheim Township, Conestoga Valley, Hempfield, and Warwick.
“I raised the expectation level,” said McCabe.
He readied the Comets soccer team to compete with everyone and almost all of the games were close.
The new season was started by adjusting to the new coach.
“To be honest they embraced a lot of changes,” said first-year Comets head coach McCabe.
The change proved to be good since the team is now heading to districts.
Penn Manor finished the season with a record of 9-5-1, and were lead by top goal scorer and senior, Andrew Herr, who has already committed to attend Michigan State where he will play soccer.
“I made them accountable for themselves,” said McCabe.
One thing that seemed different to players was that they had accountability partners off the field.
There is a lot of pressure on the team, and for some seniors, this might be their last game.
The Comets are a better seed than Garden Spot, and if they win, they face off against Cumberland Valley in districts on Thursday, if they lose, they are eliminated.
Cumberland Valley is the number one seed so the Comets would be the underdogs if they make it to districts.
A little over one year away from a Stanley Cup Finals berth, Flyers’ general manager, Paul Holmgren, decided that a change was necessary.
Gone, are the teams’ captain (Mike Richards) and leading goal scorer (Jeff Carter). Gone is Michael Leighton, the goalie that led the team to a postseason run culminating in a blown game-6 lead.
Arriving is the consensus top prospect in hockey, Brayden Schenn. He was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in the trade for Mike Richards. Schenn was drafted by the Kings’ organization 5th overall in the 2009 entry draft.
The Flyers' Wayne SImmonds mixes size and skill along with a grittiness fans adore. Photo courtesy of Yahoo.
Ilya Bryzgalov, a former Vezina trophy finalist and Stanley Cup champion was signed to a nine year 51 million dollar contract. The Russian international is the stud g
oaltender Flyer fans have been clamoring for since the days the legendary Bernie Parent covered the net for the Flyers.
The former five time scoring champion, Jaromir Jagr, has also entered the fold in Philadelphia. The 39-year-old Jagr has returned from a three-year hiatus in Siberia. He left the NHL after a contract dispute with the Flyers’ bitter division rivals, The New York Rangers. Jagr has found instant chemistry with the team’s budding superstar, Claude Giroux. Teamed with James Van Riemsdyk, the trio hope to take the league by storm this year.
But the real gem of the offseason changes may be Wayne Simmonds who was also acquired in the Mike Richards deal. The 6’2″- 183 pound forward has been the lynchpin of the Flyers attack so far this year. His strong presence in front of the net has given the Flyers a dimension they have been missing for years. The team has not had a strong net presence since Mike Knuble skipped town for Washington D.C.
The Flyers decided to overhaul the team in the off season. so far it has been working. The Flyers are 4-1-1 in their first six games.
The Penn Manor Comets football team added a new color to their repertoire for their final home game of the season against Warwick.
The student section, usually covered in blue and gold, switched up the colors for breast cancer awareness month. Even the football players were wearing pink socks.
The game was all Penn Manor as they won on their senior night.
“Our defense wasn’t doing as good as we wanted them to, but our offense was clicking,” said junior football player, Daulton Parmer.
Warwick got up on the board first with a touchdown late in the first quarter but missed the extra point so they would only be up by six.
Then Penn Manor drove right back down the field and Brandon Stone scored a touchdown. Penn Manor kicker, Brian Sloss, also missed the extra point so the score would stay tied.
Penn Manor turned it up a notch when Daulton Parmer caught an interception and quarterback Adam Sahd capped off the interception with a touchdown on a quarterback sneak in the second quarter.
With just 32 seconds left in the second quarter, Daulton Parmer caught a touchdown. But Warwick had an answer, taking the next kickoff back to the house finishing off the scoring in the second quarter.
At the half, the score was 20-13, Penn Manor.
In the third quarter, Brandon Stone was able to score again putting the Comets up 27-13. Then Dylan Webber scored for the Comets to put them up 21 points against the Warriors.
Even though Warwick scored again. they still couldn’t figure out a way to come back against the Penn Manor defense. The game ended with a score of 34-20.
Epharta Fire Department was on call Tuesday as Comet runners nearly torched the grass off the Crusaders’ course.
“It was a great day for us in Epharta. We all ran our hardest. You could say we went out with a bang,” said Starrett Metzler, a sophomore runner at Penn Manor.
Greta Lindsley rounds the corner, already a leg up on the competition. Photo by Jeanne Caggiano
The cross-country team finished off a successful season (Boys 17-4 and Girls 18-3) by taking on the competition in leagues this week at Epharta’s home course.
“We all knew how big a meet this was and we were able to beat every team we beat this season,” said senior captain Harry Manning. “We fought hard and got good performances from Jon Bitner, who placed ninth and Harrison Schettler, who came in second by mere inches.”
Comet individuals placed high in both the guy and girl events this week. The girls star Greta Lindsley coasted through the race to reclaim her LL League title. She ran a great time of 19:14 which was 23 seconds faster than the second place runner from Elizabethtown.
“Greta would have won by more, but she is the favorite for districts on Tuesday and smartly conserved some of her energy,” claimed Manning.
Jared Schatz and Harrison Schettler duel for the title at the finish line. Photo by GameTimePA.com
Harrison Schettler, the boys’ ace in the hole this season, ran his record best time of 16:30. He was barely ousted by the undefeated Jared Schatz from Lancaster Mennonite for the title. Schatz also ran a 16:30 but was declared the winner in a photo-finish.
“The finish was disputed since Schettler crossed the line at the same time as Jared Schatz from Mennonite. The officials conferred and gave the win to Schatz,” noted Manning.
The rest of the Comet boys battled through a tough race and placed well throughout the field. Junior Jonathan Bitner fought for ninth place in the league with a time of 16:58. The team as a whole placed fifth among the competition behind Manheim Township, Hempfield, Warwick and Cedar Crest. Their team score was 144.
The Lady Comets also placed fifth as a team at leagues. They placed behind Manheim Township, Elizabethtown, Hempfield, and Garden Spot with a team score of 161. Meghan Maisano, a sophomore at Penn Manor, placed seventeenth in the field with a time of 20:46.
Schettler and Lindsley will both compete at the district race in Hershey Tuesday. The competition will be tough, but the Comets have proved that they have what it takes to compete at the next level.
Penn Manor Field Hockey team captured their fifth consecutive section one crown last night in a 2-o win over Hempfield. They can check this one off the list.
The Comets defense was stifling the Black Knight offense, not allowing any shots on goal. The Penn Manor scoring started with sophomore midfielder, Rachael Suter who put in a reverse stick chip shot in the middle of the second half to put the lady Comets up by one.They never looked back.
The scoring also ended with Suter who scored again with about three minutes left in the game to solidify the victory as the Comets finished with an 11-1 record in their section. They may have been nervous heading into this big game but after the game there was a sense of relief among the lady Comets.
“It’s a relief because its a penta-peat,” said senior defender, Vicky Nase who knows what it is like playing in big games. She and a few other players were on the state championship team their freshman year.
The lady Comets had a chance to wrap up the section title against Warwick at home on the Monday night but they couldn’t capitalize on their chances losing 2-0.
“Should have beaten them, they outplayed us,” said coach Matt Soto after Warwick gave his team their first section lost.
Penn Manor played section two runner-up Ephrata on Saturday at Hempfield where they achieved goal number one on their list.
The girls won handily, beating Ephrata 8-0.
Their list of goals include winning leagues, distracts, and taking home the state crown.
