UNDEFEATED Section Champs.

In a battle for the Section Three title, Solanco toppled visiting Garden Spot 35-20 and completed the first undefeated regular season in school history on Friday, October 28. The win capped Solanco's fifth section title overall and their first outright crown since 1990 when the Mules, under head coach Larry Zdilla, defeated Penn Manor 27-6 for their first crown in 40 years of football at the school.

And it was current head coach Tony Cox's birthday.

"It was stressful enough but then everyone was asking me if I wished for an undefeated season," said Cox. "Yeah, it was a great birthday. I've never had an undefeated season and we won the section outright. It was history in the making. And once we got going, the stress went away."

Spot (4-2, 8-2), gunning for the upset, drew first blood, settling for a 23-yard field goal. Solanco (6-0, 10-0) responded on its first drive. Brody Mellinger found Elijah Cunningham with a 24-yard strike and a 7-3 lead.

The Spartans countered when QB Kye Harting raced 80 yards to the house. But then the Mules buckled down, scoring three straight to take control. Mellinger scored on a three-yard keeper, Cunningham added a 4-yard run in the second quarter and Josiah Forren opened the second half with a punishing 87-yard kickoff return. Mellinger's two-point conversion made it 28-10.

"That run by Josiah was huge," said Cox. "Then we tried on onside kick that they waved off. They came back and got a field goal. We had the momentum then so it would have been nice to get the onside kick. But like they have all season, the kids face some adversity, regroup, and fight back. They wanted to do another onside kick," he added. "This group just does not quit. I hope that stays with us."

Spot nailed that 35-yard field goal and Harting scored his second TD, a 7-yard run, also in the third quarter, before Cole Harris (88 rushing yards) bulled his way to the endzone for the only score in the fourth.

Forren finished with 78 rushing yards and 13 solo tackles. Mellinger added 74 yards. Cunningham picked up 62 yards and picked off one pass just before halftime. John Sankus recorded the only sack of the night and Noah Baber booted 3-of-4 PATs.

CROSS COUNTRY

Eight cross country runners capped a successful season by competing in the District Three Championships, Saturday, October 29 at Big Spring High School. Two of them came close to qualifying for the PIAA Championships.

Senior Emma Baxter was the highest finisher for Solanco, placing 34th in 19:54 while Anthony Solis-Morales settled for 42nd place in 16:40.

"Emma was five places and about eight seconds away from qualifying for states while Anthony missed it by one place and 1.5 seconds," said head coach Andrew Musselman. "Both ran very well and both PR'd on this course, Emma by over a minute compared to last years' time."

Their district times are currently the second fastest Solanco times on the Big Spring course. Baxter passed Morgan Perry's 20:04 run in 2015 while Solis-Morales improved his 2019 time of 17:04.

Also competing for the girls was Daria Neaves (94th), Christine Wagner (129th) and Olivia Singleton (185th).

"Daria ran an excellent time at 21:25 and was close to a season PR," noted Musselman. "Christine broke 22 for the second time this season and ran an excellent race. Olivia had some challenges this year but made it to this level for the first time and ran a tough race."

Backing Solis-Morales was Wyatt Tomison (144th), Isaac Esh (153rd) and Jimmy Hartigan (211th).

"Wyatt put forth a great effort trying to move up in the pack and finished seven seconds faster than last year," said Musselman. "His determination will pay dividends moving forward.

"This was Isaac's first district meet. He ran a smart race clocking a PR time of 18:07.4," he continued. "Jimmy is going to beat himself up about this race, but I hope he realizes his career is far from over and this race will be a learning experience that will make him stronger and more determined the next time he toes the start line.

"Overall, it was an excellent day," he added. "We set some ambitious goals at the start of the season and while we missed reaching some of them, we are certainly stronger and wiser for shooting for them."

SOCCER ALL-STARS

While the girls' soccer team fell short in their quest for a long post-season, they did not fall short in all-star accolades. Five seniors and one junior were recognized for their efforts on and off the field this season. Meg Bailey and Alana Brown were Section Two First Team all-stars. Alyssa Harpe and junior Josie Janssen were Section Two Second Team all-stars and Paige Althoff was an Academic all-star.

"This group of seniors, along with Kara Peace, Sarah Landis and Arianna Seiberlich, are very special to me," said head coach Matt Jansen. "I had some of them as students in middle school (the rest I got to know once they started playing junior high soccer) so I've known them for seven years and got to watch them grow into the people they are today. "They are a close knot group and have been great friends for a long time. The love, appreciation and support they show each other in incredible," he continued. "They are the true leaders of this team and this program, and they showed the younger players what it means to be successful both on and off the field.

"They were the freshman class when Kenny (Yoder) and I had our first winning season," Jansen stated, "and when we qualified for districts for the first time in program history. We have had winning seasons every year because of the drive and commitment they have shown. They set the bar high and created the expectation that Solanco Girls' Soccer is a winning team and a team that will be competitive for years to come. I can honestly say that without this group of seniors, our program would not be where it is today. Their imprint is left everywhere you look, and I know the impact of their time here will be felt for years to come."

Those seniors leave with a 44-26-2 record and the program's only three district tournament appearances.

VOLLEYBALL ALL-STARS

The volleyball team capped its season with an end-of-the-year banquet and the announcement of award winners including Section Three honorable mention all-stars Alana Herr, Marissa Cannizzaro, Emily Powl, Martha Weaver and Cheyenne Henry. Sophia Stoltzfus was an Academic all-star.

Head coach Dillon Costrello also announced the following award winners: Alaina Herr - Most Kills (62) and Most Aces (23); Martha Weaver - Most Blocks (8); Addison Boyd - Most Assists (108); Marissa Cannizzaro - Most Digs (192); Emily Powl - Most Improved Varsity Player; Sophia Stoltzfus - Varsity Determination Award; Olianna Oravitz - Most Improved JV Player; and Madison Welch - JV Rookie of the Year.