Category: Sports

By Travis Wells –

Penn Manor got pushed back by Manheim Township on the football field Friday night, ending a two-game winning streak for the Comets.

“We played the best we could,” said running back Adam Hess. “But they ended up coming out on top.”

After winning the homecoming game against McCaskey last Friday 48-14, the Comets were hoping to beat Township to keep the winning streak alive, but it didn’t end that way.

The Streaks came out strong in the first quarter scoring and scored within the first five minutes of the game but the Comets charged right back scoring a touchdown on the next drive. The extra point was missed by Brian Sloss so the Streaks still had the lead at the end of the first.

Mid-way through the second quarter, Penn Manor’s Adam Sahd threw a touchdown pass to take the lead. And after Sloss’s missed extra point the Comets decided to go for two to try and widen the lead to 14-7 but Township’s line wouldn’t let them through.

The half ended with a field goal kicked by the Streaks to make the score 12-10 Penn Manor.

“We are playing a pretty good game right now, making the plays we need to make,” said Sahd at halftime.

The Comets came raging out in the beginning of the second half causing multiple interceptions that Daulton Parmer picked which resulted in a 24-yard field goal kicked by Sloss.

Township refused to give up. Early in the fourth quarter, the Streaks returned the ball 96 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked but Township still took control of the lead 16-15.

The Comets tried for one last drive but were forced to punt the ball and the Streaks rushed the ball back for another touchdown. The clock wound down and there was nothing Penn Manor or Coach Mealy could do. The game ended 36-22 Township.

By Cody Straub –

Think back just about one month ago to the beginning of September: Philadelphia sports fans were living it up.

All those jolly fans were getting their fingers fit for their World Series ring and buying their “dream team” jerseys by the bulk at local sporting goods store. Who knew so much could change in just a month in the sports world.

Those pre-ordered rings are now worth as much as the plastic rings you find in the cereal box and Michael Vick jerseys have become quite a popular dog toy over the past few weeks. So what happened in this dreadful month that led Philadelphia fans down this dark, tumultuous road?

The Phillies had the best rotation in baseball and too much depth to even gander a thought of losing a playoff series while the Eagles just shelled out all sorts of money to star free-agents in a matter of days, making them everyone’s early Superbowl favorite. Then September 18 rolled around, the day the world went dark for all Philadelphia sports fans.

While right then it may have just seemed like a bump in the road with both the Eagles and Phillies losing that day, it was really the start of catastrophic events for all of Philly. The”dream team” (I guess I should call them just the Eagles from now on, because who  in the right mind would call a team with one win in five tries a “dream team?”) have not won a game since that week two loss to Atlanta and the loss on September 18 was the start of an eight game losing streak for the not so  “phitin phils.” Now the Phillies are sitting at home watching the playoffs like everyone else and the Eagles aren’t even worth your Sunday afternoon anymore.

The sad part is that there is no one else for these teams to blame but themselves and their fans know it. Believe it or not walking around school you don’t hear, “The refs made them jump off-sides,” or “Well maybe if the umpire could see, the Phillies could have manged one run.” No, none of that is heard because as obnoxious as Philly fans are, they are smart enough to know that their teams have not met the lofty expectations everyone had for them.

All of these tragic events have led to many people asking themselves: what’s next? Football has all of a sudden become meaningless in Philadelphia, baseball being over before November has many Phillies fans confused and to top it off, Sixers fans won’t be able to cheer their team on because of the NBA lockout. This has led to many people climbing on top of their roofs and asking the sports gods what they did to deserve this, only to be talked down from jumping off the roof by the promise that there is always next year.

By Sam Valentin –

The Comets handled the Tornadoes easily winning 8-0 on senior night. It was an emotional and entertaining night for the senior field hockey players.

“Yeppers, pretty emotional not another chance to play on field until Monday,” said senior goalie, Karla Mylin.

The Comets got on the board early scoring about five minutes into the game. Then Rachael Suter scored just 45 seconds later to put the Comets up 2-0. The girls were just getting started by that time.

They scored four more goals to go into halftime with a six to nothing lead. The game seemed all but over. They added four more goals before the slaughtering ended. The Comets stormed on the Tornadoes winning handily 10-0.

After the game they recognized the four seniors on the team. It was entertaining to say the least.

A select few juniors spoke about teammates who were being recognized. The seniors were defender Kayla Bixler, goalie Karla Mylin, Vicky Nase, and Mikayla Herbert. The girls were all relaxed and joking after the easy win while recognizing the seniors who contributed a large part to the program over the years. But coach Matt Soto made sure they were all business during the game and it showed.

“Make sure they take it seriously,” said Soto before the game to his girls.

The girls play again Saturday against Donegal who is always good according to Soto.

By Alex Kirk and Brandon Schuman-

The Phillies last game of the season was a microcosm of their entire year; many ups and downs but in the end they finished on top.

The Phillies swiped the prize of the free agent market, Cliff Lee, away from the Yankees. This acquisition instantly gave the Phillies the best starting rotation in the majors.

Injuries plagued the team from spring training all the way up until the end of the season.  Two team veterans, World Series winning closer Brad Lidge and Gold-Glove winner Chase Utley, both missed a large chunk of the beginning of the season recovering from major off-season surgeries.

Both of the franchise stalwarts missed opening day. In the first game of the 2011 season the Phillies walked off on a John Mayberry single in the bottom of the ninth inning. The clutch play was the first of many in what would become a breakout season for the young outfielder.

Philadelphia had a stellar class of rookies contribute to the team’s success this season.

Michael Stutes made his major-league debut on May 25 and finished the season with 62 innings pitched and a record of 6-2.  Vance Worley, out of Long Beach State, finished his rookie season with 131.2 innings pitched and a record of 11-3.  Worley pitched as a starter after the all-star break. He filled in for Roy Oswalt, who had back problems throughout the season.

The Phillies were involved in a 19-inning marathon of a game against the Reds in late May. Wilson Valdez became the first player since the legendary Babe Ruth to start a game as a fielder and win the game as a pitcher. His hat was sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a memento of the feat.

In the last game of the regular season, in which they beat the Braves after 14 innings, the Phillies accomplished two different milestones.

They broke the franchise record for most wins in a single season at 102 and  Charlie Manuel became the winningest manager in team’s history with 646 wins in his career.

All these accomplishments reflect the hard work the Phillies put in this season.

By Mark Dano-

Harrison Schettler just keeps on running and running.

On September 27, Schettler torched the 3.1 mile home course of Penn Manor in a blazing 16:49. This time, he came five seconds below the standing record. After falling short of the record earlier in the season, Schettler dug deep to beat.

“I knew the last time I ran on that course that I missed the record by three seconds,” said Schettler, “And I knew it was the last time this year that I would have a chance to break it so I had to go for it.”

Cross country is a sport that requires extreme physical endurance. The sport also requires the athlete to have the ability to put mind over matter. This combination of athleticism and mental toughness can take years to perfect. Schettler, a junior at Penn Manor seems to have completed this task in only his first season on the cross country team.

Schettler has already won two individual meets this year, and is currently ranked fourth in the LL League.  Despite the fact that Schettler broke the record in his first season, this moment has been a long time in the making. He played soccer and basketball for years, but never quite excelled as much as in cross country and track.

“Harrison came into his own on the track team last year as a 1,600 meter specialist and had an outstanding first season, finishing in 10th place at the League meet,” said Jeff Roth, Penn Manor’s athletic director. “Finding success in track, Harrison made the switch from soccer to cross country this fall.”

Schettler has used an intensive training program to turn raw talent into a refined skill.

“He has invested many hours to get to the point where he can comfortably run a 12 mile training run or consistently run lap after lap at a specific pace on the track.  He has improved his aerobic capacity by running 40 miles or more per week,” said Cross country coach Tom Ecker.

Many runners have similar athletic ability, but they cannot bring themselves to keep going when the body is begging for rest. Schettler has been able to do this.

“Harrison is a very committed and focused athlete,” said Roth, “He is committed to training and pushing himself to become the best runner he can be.”

Attributing to his physical ability and dedication is Schettler’s winning attitude.

“I think in anything I do I always have a competitor’s mentality,” said Schettler. “I hate losing in anything. I guess that’s my motivation.”

The fact that Schettler has already performed at this level has left reason for one to think that Schettler has a bright future coming his way.

“Harrison is still “new” to the sport of cross country.  He has the potential to continue to improve through his Senior year and into college, if he chooses to do so,” said Ecker. “His commitment to quality training, year-round conditioning and good management of his diet, sleep and personal life will enable him to excel.”

By Kevin Holton –

Fly balls may not be soaring so far this year.

In an effort to minimize injuries, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) has set a ban on bats that do not pass specific safety tests for high school baseball and Penn Manor’s players will have to switch to the new bats during their spring season.

“It’ll prevent a lot of serious injuries and have less of a risk,” said Penn Manor baseball player Austin Richwine.

But there will probably be a lot less balls that are knocked “out of the park.”

The University of Massachusetts – Lowell Baseball Research Center had previously only tested bats for college baseball but not for high school baseball, according to the PIAA.

Until this year.

For high school baseball play, all bats must be safety certified for the 2012 season under the latest testing regulations.

“It’ll effect a lot of people’s personal stats because of less pop,” added Richwine

The Lowell Research Center previously certified a bat through a BESR test which determined the speed of the ball after it is hit where a new test, the  BBCOR test, measures the bounciness that a bat gives a ball when it is hit.

The performance of a safety certified bat is very similar to that of a wooden bat.  According to stevetheump.com, with solid wood bats, much of that energy is lost as the ball hits the bat.  With a hollow, composite bat, the walls slighty flex and do not take away energy from a pitched ball thus giving it more power to soar farther.

“Statistically in Division I college baseball, home runs and runs scored all fell drastically this year due to the use of BBCOR bats, ” said Matthew Scheuing, a history teacher at Penn Manor and an F&M College baseball coach.

The new bats do have many positive effects.  According to Scheuing, players will now have to really focus more on actual hitting, bunting and running techinques that were not developed in previous years due to the increase in the power of other bats.

“The new bats give us a more true evaluation of a player’s abilities both as hitters and pitchers,” said Scheuing

BBCOR bats may seem like a huge downgrade from bats that were previously used, but according to Streeter Stuart, the Penn Manor High School baseball coach, the bats do not put all players at a disadvantage.

“The new BBCOR bats are still more technologically advanced than the bats I was using in high school or college,” said Stuart.  “But the same thing is true now that was true 20 years ago. If you hit the ball square, it will be hit hard.”

Although this bat will cause less injuries, it will not guarantee safety.

“A line drive that hits you in the head, no matter the type of bat, is going to hurt you,” said Stuart.

By Travis Wells –

The Penn Manor Comets brought home a huge victory against Ephrata under the lights Friday.

The Mountaineers tried to stay strong but there was no stopping the Comets. The game ended 42-7, Penn Manor.

The Comets got right to it in the first quarter scoring with in the first three minutes with a pass thrown by Adam Sahd to wideout Daulton Parmer.

“We actually got off to a good start on offense which we sort of lacked in previous games,” said running back Adam Hess. “Our defense was also a huge part in the win.”

After an overtime loss against Hempfield the previous Friday, the Comets were hungry for revenge on the Mountaineers.

Mistakes on the field caused turnovers by both teams but even when Ephrata had the ball on Penn Manor’s five-yard line the force of the defensive line wouldn’t let them through.

The Comets got the ball back and Sahd was quick to make the play, rushing 60 yards for a TD ending the first quarter 14-0.

But Ephrata refused to give up that easily, early in the second quarter a TD pass thrown by Ephrata narrowed the Comet’s lead to 7.

“We played really smart the first half only causing one turnover,” said linebacker Joziah Rodriguez.

The second half was just as good for the Comets. Sahd threw two touchdown passes to Brandon Stone and Adam Hess and rushed for another 20-yard touchdown giving them a huge advantage of 35-7.

Things just got worse for Ephrata in the fourth. An on-sides kick by Brian Sloss caused Ephrata to fumble. The Comets took advantage and made another touchdown.

“We played our best and it worked,” said Sahd.

By Kyle Musser-

Penn Manor’s football program is more than just X’s and O’s these days.

Head football coach, Todd Mealy, has turned the Comets football program around in many ways.  He has produced a winning Comets team and may do as much off the field as he does on it to better the community and his players.

Coach Mealy wanted to do his part in the school district and came up with a literacy program to help improve reading comprehension skills in the district’s elementary schools.

“Football is a sport that people pay attention to, and it would influence young students to read,” said Mealy.  “And if pre-teens are getting the message it’s cool to read, it’ll stick with them until high school.”

His long term goal is to improve the PSSA scores of these elementary students by the time they reach high school.

Seven coaches that are also teachers are encouraging this idea of literacy for students.  From middle school to high school, collectively they teach history, science, technology, math and physical education.   Mealy emphasizes academic success for his players as well.  Not only does he monitor grades, but he also asks players to sit in the first three rows of their classes.  The team had an average GPA of 3.4 last season, so Mealy’s focus on academics may be paying off.

The goal for students in the elementary program is to read everyday for 20 minutes between September 24 and October 21.  If students do this, and it is verified by parents by signing their log book, which keeps track of the amount of time read, they will receive an autographed team photo and will form the spirit line for the football game against Warwick on October 21.

“We would really like the students to be on the field before the game to cheer on the team, pending superintendent approval,” said Mealy.

The Comets look to shine both on the field and in the classroom for those students who idolize them.

By Alex Kirk-

The Phillies beat the Mets Sunday to end an eight-game losing streak.  That win put them at 99 total wins on the season.

Phillies fans, including those at Penn Manor, were relieved they broke their losing streak.

“It was tough because they haven’t lost so many straight games since 2000,” said fan Dylan Weber, a Penn Manor senior.

The Phillies had clinched the playoffs, their division, and home field advantage for October.  They had accomplished everything the number one team in baseball should, except 100 wins in a season.

With Cliff Lee on the mound, the Phils ousted the Braves 4-2 on Monday to get their century mark

“It’s (100) a big number. We all feel it,” said Raul Ibanez in a post-game interview.

The Phillies haven’t won 100 games in a single season since 1977, and they just barely made it in 2011.