Maddie Knier paced Manheim Central with 26 points in a 55-19 victory over the Red Land Jan. 11. The talented sophomore has started the season red-hot.

She dropped 19 points in a 39-35 loss in the season-opener against Cocalico on Jan. 8. Rachel Nolt added eight points, including two 3-pointers. The Barons led 5-3 after the first quarter and the game was tied 13-13 at intermission. Cocalico broke the game open with a 20-point third quarter to take a 33-21 lead with eight minutes remaining. Central clamped down on defense and went on a 14-6 to close the game and narrow the final margin.

"They (Cocalico) had a great third quarter where their seniors made a nice run and we had a little bit of a drought," Manheim Coach Tyson Hayes said. "I loved the way we competed and the effort we gave for 32 minutes." On Jan. 13, MC lost 46-29 to Lampeter-Strasburg. Knier had a team-high 14 points.

WRESTLING

The Barons are 2-0 on the young season after beating Ephrata, 48-21, Jan. 12. The Barons benefited from pins by Gabe Thomas, Ethan Stoltzfus, Rocco Daugherty and Ryland Fittery. Dougherty registered his fall in 17 seconds.

Manheim coach Billy Chamberlain was impressed with Stoltzfus' fall at 160 pounds, in a back-and forth match. He had had his opponent in a cradle, but the time expired. In the next period he got the cradle again and closed the deal.

"He is really coming on," Chamberlain said. "He is constantly looking to score points."

The Barons, behind late falls from Rocco Daugherty and Brett Barbush, beat Lower Dauphin 33-31 on Jan. 9, despite missing three starters. At 285, Ryland Fittery started the match with a pin. Just 30 seconds into his bout, Dakoda Thomas added another fall at 152.

Manheim started seniors and nine underclassmen, including six freshmen. One of those freshmen was Gabe Thomas, who earned a 3-2 win at 106, turning his man in the third period. Sophomore Aiden Krell, who Chamberlain said is always moving, pulled out a 16-14 overtime victory at 113.

RIFLE

Because of COVID-19, teams shot on their own range and are six-feet apart and the coaches meet to exchange scores. For example, Manheim coach Steve Waddington met with Wilson's coach at the Riveria restaurant in Denver. Waddington ordered spaghetti and meatballs and the Wilson coach ate pizza and the coaches exchanged target cards.

The Manheim sharpshooters, fresh off a 2020 league championship, are off to a 3-0 start. The Barons beat Wilson 493-484 Friday, Jan. 8.

Kami Groff and Anna Haldeman each registered perfect scores of 100. Ellie McCabe had a 99, Genna Eberly and Nate Sauder each posted 97 to round out the top five.

The three girls at the top of the scoring will be a key to the Barons' success this season.

"The big factor is that they all came through," Waddington said. "If they don't come through, we could be in trouble, because of depth. I need the top three to shoot well. We don't have the depth yet."

The Barons got their second win on Jan. 11 with a 494-488 victory over Governor Mifflin. Groff and McCabe continued their strong shooting with 100 scores. Haldeman and Trevor Frey each fired a 99. Nate Sauder rounded out the top five with a 96.

Back on the range Jan. 12, Manheim defeated Conestoga Valley, 495-492. Haldeman and McCabe each were perfect at 100. Frey had a 99 and two new shooters jumped into the top five with Kyler Groff and Genna Eberly both at 98.

BOWLING

The Barons won their first match of the season against Elco at Berks Lanes, 2457-2374 on Jan. 12. Jesse Hurst was the top bowler for Manheim, posting game scores of 203-207-193 for a 603 series. Landen Statts was next with a 499 total behind game scores of 148-181-170. Cole Shontz had a three-game series of 488 on scores of 189-193-106. Holly Shea-Hunt placed fourth with a 477 after games of 179-164-134 and Hailey Kowalski had a 390 on scores of 130-128-132.

Head coach Alan Sides was pleased with the result and the performance of his young squad.

"Compared to practice, the performance was above my expectations," Sides said. "They didn't have consistent practices. They impressed me with how they concentrated and bowled well."

BOYS' BASKETBALL

In a 49-46 nail-bitter, the Barons dropped their home opener to Cocalico Jan. 8. Zach Benner and Judd Novak led the Barons in scoring with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

MC was up two with six minutes to play and had two clean looks with less than 10 seconds to win the game but missed the shots.

"We battled and it came down to a play here and a there," Manheim coach Charlie Fisher said. "It looked a lot like last year and that has to change. The bulk of the rotation is back, and we have to pull these games out."

Manheim bounced back with a 64-53 triumph over Fleetwood Jan. 9. Trey Grube was on fire, notching 26 points and nailing six 3-pointers. Wyatt Becker registered ten points.

Central coach Charlie Fisher said Grube was locked-in.

"Trey, that dude can lite it up," Fisher said. "He is hard to stop when he is feeling it."

Manheim led 13-12 after one quarter, jumping to a 9-0 lead, but Fleetwood, on a 15-2 run, led 29-28 at halftime. MC was down five in the third and then went on a big run to go up by many as 16 points.

"We definitely started dictating the game," Fisher said. "We want to dictate the momentum and tempo."

On Jan. 13, the Barons lost another close game, 59-56, to Lampeter-Strasburg. Manheim led 15-13 after one quarter and the score was tied at halftime, 23-23. L-S used a 19-12 scoring advantage in the third quarter to pull away. MC had balanced scoring with Grube's team-high 15 and Becker, Snavely and Judd Novak each netting 12.