Sports

4- PENNYSAVER - Conestoga Valley Edition - February 24, 2021 SPORTS Conestoga Valley • Donegal • Elizabethtown Garden Spot • Hempfield Lampeter-Strasburg • Manheim Central Penn Manor • Pequea Valley • Solanco MORE SPORTS PICTURES and other high school sports news at

Lady Bucks Play Four Times in One Week

BY LEAH SINTIC

In a final push to make up for lost time, CV girls have given their all to an intense end of season schedule, competing against Penn Manor, Solanco and a double dose of Ephrata all within a week.

On Wednesday, the Lady Bucks hosted Solanco and despite a strong 17-13 start, the Mules tied things up at 26 at the half before pulling away, handing the Bucks a 53-36 loss. Taylor Hehnly, a junior, scored nine of her gamehigh 16 points in the first quarter to give CV an early boost, but the Mules second half defense proved to be stifling as they extended their lead as time expired.

Both meetings against Ephrata went to the Mountaineers with final scores of 61-30 on February 13th, and 50-20 just three days later.

While hosting the teams’ first clash, Rebecca Hartranft paced the Buckskin offense, netting 13 points, with Hehnly chipping in eight.

During the subsequent trip to Ephrata, Hehnly took a turn at the helm to lead the Bucks with nine and Ashley Cirilo added six.

For the Mountaineers, the outcome of those two games pushed them that much closer to a Section Title, guaranteeing them at least a piece of the title in Section Two.

While the title will remain out of reach for the Buckskins, they continue to have an impact on who will receive it as they will also go head-to-head with Section Two’s other frontrunner, Elizabethtown, in an unprecedented double header.

In a February 11th trip to Penn Manor, the Comets handed the Bucks a 58-30 defeat, where Hehnly again gave CV its biggest offensive push, collecting 14 points including a four-for-four showing at the line.

Amidst the hectic schedule and intense competition, the Bucks took a moment to pause and recognize their senior teammates at home on the 13th, honoring Ashley Andrew, Destiny Ellerbe, and Alexis Goldsborough for their contributions to the team.

WRESTLING

Five CV wrestlers earned spots to compete at the L-L League Wrestling Championships held at Manheim Township on February 13th, and celebrated success in multiple divisions.

Keaton Fischer fought his way through the 138-pound bracket all the way to the final match, where he placed second after losing by major decision to division champion Griffin Gonzalez of Lebanon.

Prior to the championship bout, Fischer had to power past Garden Spot’s Jeremy Schilling with a 10-4 decision win, as well as a 7-5 decision over defending champion Ronnie Fulton of Solanco in the semifinal round.

Nate Kirchner made quite a statement in the 172-pound division, earning a third-place finish, well-exceeding his eighth placed seed entering the competition.

Kirchner was forced to face eventual champion Andrew Voglebacher of McCaskey in his opening bout, but after an initial loss, he rallied his way back through the consolation bracket with three consecutive wins, overcoming Joel Grillo of Donegal, Turk Baum of Cocalico, and Liam Feister of Lampeter-Strasburg by decision in the thirdplace showdown for a wellearned spot on the podium.

“Our staff was extremely happy to see his hard work pay off and his confidence rise with each win,” celebrated head coach Trent Turner.

Trent Ruble also garnered a third-place finish for his effort in the 106-pound class. Ruble kicked off his day with a 5-0 decision over Liam McGinley of Pequea Valley but was knocked back by a semifinal defeat dished out by Kaedyn Williams of Township who would go on to claim the title.

Ruble regained his footing with a pair of wins over Marco Tocci of Warwick and Owen Lehman of Northern Lebanon to claim the third-place victory.

Accompanying the trio of placewinners at the event was Luke Needham wrestling at 145 pounds and Josue Marente at 215.

“We’re proud of the accomplishments of each of these wrestlers in making it into the tournament,” acknowledged Turner. “Collectively, they helped us finish eighth out of 23 teams.”

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

The Bucks cashed in on the long-distance shot in a 68-59 win over Penn Manor on February 11th, netting 11 three-point baskets to account for nearly half of their points.

Austin Wertz knocked down five of those downtown buckets to lead CV scoring alongside Luke Rumbaugh with 17 points apiece.

Three-out-of-four quarters only held a one-point differential between the two teams, with the Bucks edging ahead in each of them, making the second quarter a game-altering one in which the Bucks surged ahead on a 16-10 run to create a seven-point cushion (33-26) headed into the second half.

The Bucks also visited the line 22 times in the contest, converting 13 points in free throws.

Cooper McCloud added 10 points with a fourth CV athlete nearing double digits as Kyle Thrush chipped in nine.

Two days later the club fell just short in a 63-59 loss to Cedar Crest, where once again Wertz (19 points) and Rumbaugh (17 points), took advantage of the three-point line, nailing six of the Buck’s nine three-point baskets.

RIFLE

With sports across the board scrambling to squeeze as much competition out of the final weeks of the regular season, CV rifle was no exception, facing Wilson and Governor Mifflin two times each as the season raced to its conclusion.

Governor Mifflin gained the edge in both of their meetings but split results with Wilson, gave CV their second win of the season, a 494-492 victory on February 11.

Wyatt Stauffer and Sierra Land led the successful effort with a pair of 100s. Grady Ray and Adam Zook each nailed a 99, and Sovannary Sok’s 96 was enough to propel the Bucks to the two-point triumph.

Wilson took a turn going ahead, claiming the other half of the double header, 492-486. Stauffer shot another 100 to lead CV’s efforts, followed by Lucas Gomez and Edison Stauffer with a pair of 97s.

Moving on to the League Individuals Tournament on February 12th, it was E. Stauffer who produced the Buckskins best score, a 198 with two centers to capture 10th place. Land’s 197 with two centers earned her a 16th place finish, and Ray (197, 0 centers) claimed 18th place at the tournament which featured 48 sharpshooters.

Photo by Cheri Sine

Taylor Hehnly leads the Buckskins’ fast break during their 61-30, Section Two loss to Ephrata on February 13.

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Photo by Cheri Sine

CV’s Destiny Ellerbe looks to put a rebound back up against Ephrata’s Grace Willetts during the Buckskins’ 61-30, Section Two loss to the visiting Mountaineers on February 13.