Sports

8- MERCHANDISER - Manheim Central Edition - September 15, 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

Barons’ Boys’ Soccer Off to a Solid Start

BY ERIC G. STARK

Rod Brenize admits it is too early to say how good his Manheim Central boys’ soccer team will be; he doesn’t know what he has yet. Well, after two games, he is starting to get a clearer picture. He can see his squad is resilient and can put the ball in the net.

In two games, the Barons are 2-0 and have scored six goals, while yielding three. They started the season with a comefrom-behind 2-1 victory over Donegal on Sept. 3.

The Barons trailed 1-0 late into the second half before Connor Caterbone scored off a slot ball from Brayden Dombach in the 67th minute. Matt Echegoyen broke the 1-1 tie, taking a pass from Dombach on the wing. Echegoyen, on a semi-fast break got behind the defensive line and beat the keeper in the 72nd minute.

Losing in a noon game on Labor Day weekend, it would have been easy for Brenize’s inexperienced team to lower their heads. But instead, they fought back.

“I was pleased with the way we played,” he said. “We were down 1-0. We came back to score two goals in the final 15 minutes to win. I was most pleased by that, that we didn’t give up.”

The Barons beat Garden Spot 4-2 at home on Sept. 7. Manheim scored first, getting a goal by Luke Redcay eight minutes into the game. Redcay netted a second goal at the 57-minute mark. Dombach also added two goals, both in the second half (46:00 and 71:00 into the contest).

Gabe Redcay, Luke’s brother, notched two assists and Aiden Beck and Caterbone also assisted.

TENNIS

In their first win in several years over Conestoga Valley, the Lady Barons defeated the Buckskins 6-1 on Sept. 3.

“It was a great win for us,” Manheim coach Kurtis Funk said. “CV has beat us a bunch of years in a row, so it was nice to finally get one. Our doubles were really key because we got off to an early 3-0 lead. That really takes the pressure off of singles. I thought my 2-4 singles players really played nice, consistent matches as well, but it really started with doubles for us.”

The doubles were led by No. 1 team of Gabriella Wettig and Brianna Mylin with an 8-2 win. Holly Miller and Samantha Williams won at No. 2 8-4 and Sydney Peters and Kami Groff teamed for an 8-4 victory. Mylin and Miller also won in singles.

Elizabethtown beat Central 4-3 on Sept. 6. Central led 3-0 after the doubles matches with Wettig and Mylin winning, 9-7. Miller and Williams won 9-7 and Peters and Groff won 8-4. GIRLS’ SOCCER

The Barons won their season-opener in a 4-3 comefrom-behind overtime thriller in New Holland Sept. 7.

Hannah Adair scored the game-winner three minutes into the second 10-minute overtime, racing up to kick the ball past the kicking attempt by Garden Spot goalie Kylie Weinhold from about 25 yards out. Weinhold came charging out of net on numerous occasions and the Barons finally got one by her.

“No one anticipates quite like Hannah does,” Baron’s coach Andrew Stoltzfus said. “She saw that ball about to be kicked and she was gone. She knew where it was going, and she knew she was going to get to that ball. That’s something she does so well for us.”

The Barons, who dominated at times, found themselves trailing behind the quick-strike offense of the Spartans. Spot led 1-0 at halftime.

Manheim got on the scoreboard with 24:30 left in the game when Abbie Reed took a pass from Summer Bates and sent a slow roller past the diving attempt of Weinhold into the right corner of the goal. Less than five minutes later, Bates returned the favor, setting up Reed, who sent a shot high above the out-stretched hands of Weinhold, just below the cross bar.

Reed from Adair put the Barons on top 3-1, but Spot scored two quick goals to even the score and send the contest into OT. Adair, from a Courtney Smith pass, took care of business for the Barons’ win. VOLLEYBALL

Manheim started the season by beating Twin Valley in a five-game match on Sept. 3 (20-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19, 15-13).

Madison Knier led the Barons with 13 kills and Grace Stoltzfus dished out 29 assists and added four aces. Raegan Nissley had five blocks and Emma Damon added 13 digs.

Though they didn’t win their next match, Central played three competitive games against Elizabethtown, 25-13, 25-22, 25-17.

Nissley was strong at the net with seven kills. Stoltzfus was the floor general with 11 assists and two aces. Knier posted four blocks and Damon and Rachel Nolt each had 11 digs.

“It was awesome to watch,” Barons’ coach Jason Moyer said. “E-town has some really hard hitters, and we were picking it up and we had several blocks on them.” CROSS COUNTRY

The Lady Barons won their season-opener, beating Elco 22-34 and Cocalico (the Eagles did not field enough players for a team score). Julianna Lindberg paced the Barons with a time of 23:00, good for second overall. Jenna Moffett (23:07), Reagan Ibach (23:47) and Alaina Bruckhart (24:18) placed fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Madelynn Hoffman followed in ninth, posting 25:15.

The boys lost to Cocalico in a highly contested meet, 22-24. Elco edged the Barons 26-30.

Senior Michael Greenwald placed first overall, running 18:35. Carter Bruckhart (20:05) and Cameron Evans (20:07) were fifth and sixth, respectively.

G GOLF

The Barons posted a score of 419 but lost a Section Two match at Media Heights to Elizabethtown (365), Solanco (365), Garden Spot (385) and Conestoga Valley (400).

The best Manheim finishers were Cayden Schwebel (101) and Zach Benner (105). FOOTBALL

The Barons are off to a 2-0 start. They have outscored their opponents 48-7 in two games. On Sept. 3 Manheim shutout Hempfield 14-0 at Rettew Field.

Central took a 6-0 lead on linebacker Wyatt Kupres’ 54yard interception. The Barons, who missed the extra point, took a 6-0 lead into halftime. Senior quarterback Judd Novak had a 6-yard scamper to pay dirt and Logan Hostetter caught a two-point conversion from Novak to make it 14-0 in the third quarter. Defensively, the Barons held the Knights to 229 yards of offense. After two games, Rocco Daugherty, and Landon Watson each had 1.5 sacks, Watt had 2.5 sacks, Tyler Fahnestock added two sacks. Watt has 17 tackles and Fahnestok 13.

Photo by Thom Swarr

Manheim’s Connor Caterbone fends off Donegal’s Travis Zimmerman as takes control of the ball for the Barons in their 2-1, nonleague win over the visiting Indians on September 3.

townlively.com

Moms In Prayer Launches New Season

Moms In Prayer International has kicked off another season of praying for children and schools with its theme of “Rise Up! Reach Out! Share Hope Through the Gift of Prayer!” Across the United States, groups meet weekly to pray for children of all ages and their schools. Moms in Prayer is a worldwide organization of praying moms, grandmas, aunts and other women.

In addition to a traditional/one-school Moms in Prayer group, there are church-based, grandmothers, homeschool, preschool, special-needs, prodigals, college, career, and languagebased teams of praying women, as well as a growing prison ministry. Women in more than 160 countries around the world meet regularly, spending an hour in prayer.

Moms in Prayer International also plans an annual Bless Our School Sunday event, where churches worldwide are invited to join a global prayer movement to pray for students, teachers, and school staff. This year the prayer outreach will take place on Sunday, Sept. 19. Churches that would like to unite with others for this event may visit https://momsinprayer.org/ events/bless-our-schools -sunday/ for resources.

For more information about Moms in Prayer International, visit www.Moms InPrayer.org. Individuals can locate a group through the Moms in Prayer website by selecting “Get Started” and then “Join a Group.”

2021