The quickest way to ruin a great regular season is a quick postseason exit. A common thought to avoiding that early exit is a late season stumble. Manheim Central's field hockey team's recent stretch would qualify as a stumble, although a 0-1-1 stretch is hardly cause for concern when your overall record is 13-4-1.

The one tie came on October 6th as Manheim and Lampeter-Strasburg battled to a 2-2 draw. The Lady Barons needed every one of Laci Nelson's 13 saves as they helped set the stage for the late game heroics. Ella Brubaker, using a Kiley Hosler feed, played the heroine, forcing overtime as regulation ended. Monica Herman scored in the second quarter off a penalty stroke to put Central on the board.

The Lady Barons were unable to continue their unbeaten run, falling to Elizabethtown by a 3-1 final on the 10th. Nelson finished with 16 saves while Hosler netted the fourth quarter goal with help from Mikayla Appel.

VOLLEYBALL

The girls' volleyball team might be nearing the end of their regular season, but their 10-6 mark has them on track to make the District 3-3A postseason. The Lady Barons did take a hit in the postseason department, falling to Ephrata by a 3-0 count on the 11th. The Lady Mountaineers used scores of 25-19, 25-21 and 25-16 to secure the win. Maddie Knier finished with 11 kills and six blocks, Addy Doerschuk with 21 assists and Ila Stoltzfus 16 digs.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

The boy's cross-country team traveled to Gettysburg on October 8th, not for a battlefield tour, but for the Gettysburg Invitational. Caleb Bower was the top Baron, finishing 78th with a time of 20:12.52. Jackson Sargent was next to finish, taking 117th place (21:07.60) while Tyler Lawson claimed 149th place with his 21:52.01. Harrison Will was the final Baron in Gettysburg, finishing 169th with a time of 22:35.70.

TENNIS

The girls' tennis team wrapped up their 2022 season with the completion of the Lancaster-Lebanon League Flight Tournament on October 6th, 8th and 10th. The Lady Barons took part in three different finals with Bri Mylin and Sydney Peters falling just short of singles titles while Peters and Holly Miller dropped the championship match in Flight Two doubles. Mylin fell in the Flight Three final while Peters suffered her setback in the Flight Four final.

Miller saw her singles season end in the semifinals of the Flight Two draw while Samantha Williams was unable to advance out of the opening round in the Flight One bracket. Despite their short postseason the pair did earn Section Two All-Star honors for their regular season work.

"It is pretty neat to see such hard workers getting rewarded," said head coach Kurtis Funk. "Sami and Holly never miss a practice and never take a moment off during the season."

Manheim's Flight One Doubles team of Williams and Mylin earned a first-round bye as the fourth seed but saw their title run end with a quarterfinal loss. Brook Kettler and Haley Kowalski, the top seed in the Flight Three bracket, worked their way to the semifinals before a loss ended their season.

Manheim Central picked up one last piece of hardware with this one going to Funk as the L-L Coach of the Year. "You are only as good as the people around you," said Fink of the honor, before heaping praise on his assistants. "I am extremely fortunate to have two assistant coaches that make me a better coach every day."

GIRLS' SOCCER

The girls' soccer team wrapped up the playing part of their regular season, now the Lady Baron shift to the watching part, with the focus being on the District 3-3A rankings and their October 20th deadline. Manheim suffered setbacks in their final two games, giving the Lady Barons a 7-9 overall record, which is still inside the 16-team postseason field.

Central's October 6th tilt opposite Garden Spot started with Mikayla Beck using a Kyla Banner pass for a quick 1-0 lead. Nine Lexi Wettig saves were not enough as the Lady Spartan netted two scores to steal the win.

Manheim's regular season finale ended in a 3-1 loss to Solanco, leaving the Lady Barons looking up at the Golden Mares in both the Section Two standings and the District 3 rankings. Wettig was busy with 15 saves while Katelyn Sharp set up Katie White for the team's lone score.

BOYS' SOCCER

Milestones are never easy to reach but for Rod Brenize getting to his 100th career victory took a bit longer than expected. Brenize earned his 99th career win on September 21st then waited all the way until October 8th to reach triple digits. But a 2-1 win over Cedar Cliff pushed the skipper over the edge. Gabe Redcay and Drew Greiner provided the offense with help from Aaron Cassel while Wesley Bates turned away three shots to seal the win.

Brenize waited just three more days to earn win 101 as Central cruised by Cedar Crest on the 11th. Redcay fronted the attack, scoring twice, including the game's opening goal just nine minutes into the first half. Redcay also assisted on Manheim's final goal, which went to Matt Echegoyen. Peter Burkhart and Aiden Beck split the remaining two scores.

Before the back-to-back wins, the Barons finished a four-game slide with a 2-1 loss to Garden Spot on the 5th. Burkhart used a Redcay pass to bust up the Spartan shutout bid.

FOOTBALL

The football team is testing scoreboards and their operators across the L-L with their most recent test coming on October 7th in Lebanon with an 83-7 win over the Cedars. The Barons had stats galore with a 62-0 halftime lead standing out. Add in a 448-126 edge in total yards and you get that scoreboard bending final tally.

Brycen Armold led the way with 151 yards and four touchdowns on just seven carries. Kylen Watson took his only carry 60 yards for a score after Armold had his fun. Zac Hahn completed nine of his 11 passes for 183 yards and three scores. Aaron Enterline rounded out the stat sheet with 137 yards and three touchdowns on four receptions.