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Mules Top Penn Manor, McCaskey - Now 4-1

BY MONA STEINHAUER

Solanco’s matmen took advantage of six forfeits and also piled on five falls to post a landslide 66-12 victory over the shorthanded Comets of Penn Manor Thursday, Jan. 6 in Millersville. Without the forfeits, the visitors still controlled the action, winning five of the seven bouts wrestled.

“Blaine Plastino had a big bout,” said head coach Tony Mendez. “He pinned Teagen Rogers at the fourminute mark, and he only beat Rogers by one point in the PM tournament.

“Caden Rutt had a similar scenario,” he continued. “He pinned Riley Evans in 2:34 after getting pinned by Evans in the PM tournament.”

Rutt started the action at 106 and gave the Mules a quick lead. Manor’s Travis Clawson returned the favor with a second period fall over Nathan Smith at 113 before a pair of forfeits and a string of falls put the match out of reach.

Andrew Smith (132) and Jared Fulton (138) picked up first period falls while Ben Williams, wrestling the only bout that went into the third period, recorded a 5:14 fall that pushed the lead to 36-6.

The Comets forfeited at 152 and capped their scoring with a first period fall at 160. Plastino’s fall wrapped up the action on the mat as Manor forfeited the last three bouts of the night.

The Mules were back in action Saturday morning taking part in the Octorara Duals. Ten teams divided into two different pools with the top teams advancing to the finals. Solanco and West Chester Henderson each went 40 but it was WCH that finished undefeated on the day, handing Solanco a 48-18 defeat.

“I thought we wrestled very well,” said Mendez. “The guys were feeding off of each other and wrestled intense. Plus, we were making the adjustments we needed to get the falls. I’m definitely seeing improvements.”

The Mules defeated Unionville 4921, Octorara 59-13, Exeter Township 48-20, and New Oxford 54-18, before dropping to WCH 48-18. “I did hear that WCH was ranked 19th in the state as a dual meet team,” said Mendez.

Solanco earned a total of 26 falls on the day. Jared Fulton, Steven Williams, and Plastino all went 5-0 with Plastino collecting five pins. Fulton finished with three falls and S. Williams added two.

“Ben Williams also went 4-1,” said Mendez. “That’s a good day for a sophomore.”

Last Wednesday the Mules quickly took care of business at McCaskey and moved to 4-1 in Section One. Needing just under eight minutes on the mat, Solanco posted seven falls and grabbed 18 forfeit points in a 60-15 road win.

“Our focus is always to do what you can to get the fall and get off the mat,” said Mendez. “There was only one match that ended in a decision. It was a quick match.”

Bare, Fulton, B. Williams and Plastino claimed falls in under a minute while S. Williams and Smith pinned in 1:39 and 1:04 respectively. Rutt’s fall came in 2:31.

McCaskey (0-5) earned that lone decision of the night and also recorded two falls.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Playing their second game in three days, Solanco put together a total team effort and solidly defeated a four-win Elizabethtown team 41-22 at home last Monday.

“We committed just 10 turnovers, a season low, and we had a season-high 12 assists,” said head coach Chad McDowell. “We took care of the ball and played unselfishly, and good things happened. Everyone that stepped on the court was ready to play.”

E-town opened with the first bucket of the game, a trey, but didn’t score again, hitting another three, with 1:16 left in the second quarter. In between, Solanco ran off 18 points. They led 206 at the half and exploded for 14 fourth quarter points to wrap up their first win of the season.

Jenna Ehlers led the way with 14 points and Olivia Lasko followed with ten. The two combined for 21 rebounds and six blocked shots.

One day later Solanco looked poised to pick up its second win in a clash at Donegal. They led 11-5 in the first quarter and 29-27 after three but the Indians went on a 14-7 run through the fourth to end Solanco’s hopes.

“We just had too many turnovers and they converted with easy points down the stretch,” said McDowell.

Lasko’s 12 points earned gamehigh honors. She also hauled in 15 boards. Ehlers (8 rebounds) and Olmeda combined for 14.

In non-league play Saturday, Jan. 8, at West York, Solanco suffered a 58-18 loss to Eastern York. It was Solanco’s lowest offensive output of the season.

With 23 points in the first quarter, the undefeated Golden Knights got out to a fast start. They held Solanco to four field goals for the game.

“We’re just missing simple shots right now,” explained McDowell. “Eastern executed their half-court offense very well and hit several deep threes. Before we knew it, we were in a hole trying to dig out.

“But this team never quits,” he continued. “They play 100% all the time, no matter they score. The fact that these young ladies try to do everything we ask is a bright spot every game.”

Lasko and K. Janssen combined for 14 of Solanco’s 18 points. For more photos see townlively.com BOYS’ BASKETBALL

After snow postponed Friday’s Jan. 7 game with Octorara, a road trip to Muhlenberg was up next. The Muhls took advantage of the home court rims, knocking down five of their seven treys in the first quarter while pushing out to a 31-19 lead. They tightened up the defense in the second quarter, holding the Mules to seven points while scoring 28 for a commanding 59-26 advantage at the break.

“This was a tough matchup for us,” said head coach David Long. “Their pressure got to us in the first half, especially in the second quarter where turnovers led to easy baskets for them. I did not make the adjustments needed to keep us in the game,” he added. “I thought our zone defense looked good, they just hit a lot of contested threes early.”

The scoring slowed in the second half as both teams all but traded baskets throughout. The Muhls finished with a slim 19-18 edge.

Seven players scored for Solanco but only one, Jason Yoder, hit for double figures with an even dozen.

In back-to-back action last week, the Mules suffered two more setbacks, including a 49-48 heartbreaker against Donegal Tuesday.

Monday Solanco got off to a slow start, falling behind 43-19 in the first half and never recovered in a 73-54 loss to Elizabethtown. Patrick Gilhool’s career-high 31 points proved to be the difference in this one. The Bears also converted 12-of19 free throws to help pull away.

Yoder continued his consistent play, leading the way with 21 points. Ayden Maggs added 11.

Hosting Donegal Tuesday the Mules got a balanced effort but couldn’t quite shake off another slow start. Down 25-10 at the half, Solanco rallied with a 16-12 third quarter and then exploded for 22 fourth quarter points while holding the Indians to 12 only to fall short by one.

“It was a challenge to play three games in four days, but this group plays hard,” said Long. “We are constantly improving.”

photo by Mona Steinhauer

In Section One competition at Penn Manor, Thursdsay, January 6 Jared Fulton, wrestling at 138, needed just 1:31 to put the Comets’ Mason Garfinkel to his back.

photo by Mona Steinhauer

Solanco’s Caden Rutt gets ready to score a 2:34 fall over Riley Evans in a 66-12 Section One victory in Millersville Thursday, January 6.

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