Week One scores

Here are the week one finals from around the area....

E-town 53 - McCaskey 7

Manheim Township 53 - Ephrata 0

Wilson 35 - Governor Mifflin 14

Penn Manor 14 - Solanco 13

Cocalico 35 - Lampeter-Strasburg 21

Trinity 20 - Lancaster Catholic 0

Garden Spot 17 - Warwick 14

Manheim Central 32 - Susquehannock 10

Hempfield 41 - Conestoga Valley 13

Eastern York 20 - Columbia 14

Daniel Boone 40 - Donegal 0

Elco 21 - Hamburg 20

Annville-Cleona 27 - Palmyra 15

York 49 - Readin 13

Northern Lebanon 27 - Pine Grove 0

Lebanon 39 - Cedar Crest 7

Upper Dauphin 41 - Pequea Valley 20

And your Section Two standings after Week One:
E-town..............................1-0
Cocalico............................1-0
Manheim Central...............1-0
Lebanon............................1-0
Garden Spot......................1-0
Solanco.............................0-1
Ephrata.............................0-1
Conestoga Valley..............0-1

Good night, all, and thanks for hanging out.

Bears dominate Tornado

Well. That settles that. Just got back from Lancaster, where E-town laid a whoopin' on the Red Tornado of J.P. McCaskey, 53-7. This one got ugly quick and was pretty much over by halftime. A few notes from the game.

E-town's defense was ferocious. The Bears hit the Tornado in the mouth and by the second half, it looked like McCaskey didn't want any more punishment. The D was led by linebacker Shane Rosenberry, who had six tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recover and a pass deflection. In all, E-town forced six turnovers (five fumbles, one interception), and scored a touchdown, a 28 yard fumble recovery by David Kennedy. The Bears laid some serious wood tonight, which is a good sign for them in the first game of the year.

On offense, E-town did what E-town does – run the ball down the opponent's throat. They were led by the two-headed attack of Rosenberry and Conrad Heisey. Rosenberry had 84 yards and three TD's (all in the first half), averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Heisey had a great game too, running for a team-high 94 yards and three TD's, averaging 10.4 yards per carry. The offensive line did a good job tonight in their first real action. Only Alex Kirchner is a returning starter on that line (since Evan Good is out for the year with a knee injury), and the Bears rotated a lot of kids through on the line all game long, and they opened holes all night long. Mitch Weidman added 53 yards on the ground as E-town racked up 248 rushing yards as a team.

Rosenberry had a good 35 yard TD run to open the scoring, bulldozing a few tacklers on his way to paydirt. And Heisey's third TD run was electric. He broke at least 3 or 4 tackles downfield, spun away from a defender and had a 39 yard TD run.

The passing game was sharp, although used little. QB Kyle McNeil was 3 for 5 for 54 yards, a TD (to Jeremi Jones) and a pick. Steven Nunez made a fantastic one-handed diving catch for 27 yards on the first play of the game.

If there was any doubt that E-town's defense, which lost nine starters from last year, can hit hard and hang with a fast Quad-A team, the Bears began to erase it tonight. But it is a long season, and it was only one game. But it was a dominant effort from the blue and white tonight. After allowing a long touchdown on McCaskey's first possession to tie the game, the Bears didn't allow any more points, forced six turnovers and scored a touchdown. That's making the necessary adjustments, folks.

The most positive sign for the Bears was that so many players made plays tonight. Their two feature backs went for 178 yards and six TDs, and more than 17 (17!) players made a tackle on defense or special teams. That's a total team effort.

Spirits will be high heading into next week's home opener against Muhlenberg, which will provide a good test for the Bears. But so far, so good for E-town.

Countdown to football: Jeff Polites talks about the season

Lancaster Newspapers has launched a brand new Web site today, and let me tell you, kudos to them, because it is very well done. It's all about Lancaster-Lebanon League sports and is very thorough. Check it out at www.lancsports.com, although don't stop visiting your friendly neighborhood blogger here at The Bears Den.

They have some video previews of L-L football teams up there, and here is E-town head coach Jeff Polites talking about this year's team.

Can E-town recapture the magic?

Well, here we go sports fans. High school football starts tomorrow night. Finally. So let's get cranking with the first game preview of the season. Ah...welcome back football. The Den missed you.

There are plenty of questions around the L-L League that will begin to be answered tomorrow night. But the only one people in Elizabethtown probably care about is simple – can the Bears repeat what they did last year? Hey, don't look at me, I don't have that answer. I can only tell you that the Bears will sure as heck give it all they have to win 10 games and get back to the district playoffs again.

E-town's schedule looks a tiny bit different this year, since the Bears jumped from Class AAA to Class AAAA in the offseason. So their first three games will be against J.P. McCaskey, Muhlenberg and Manheim Township. The Bears played the Streaks last year, and beat them 20-10 – Townships only regular season loss of the year. But E-town hasn't played McCaskey since '91, when they tied them 0-0. So there isn't a lot of familiarity between the two – especially not as much as when the Bears always opened with Middletown and Lower Dauphin. Then the Bears knew what to expect. This year, all they have is film to go on. Let's take a quick look at both teams.

McCaskey:
Went 3-7 overall and 3-4 in Section One last year...run the spread option on offense and the 4-3 on defense...
Offense:
If there is one thing the Tornado always has, it's speed, especially at wide receiver. Brandon Williams and Leequan LaRue are both big and fast. LaRue is listed at 6 feet, but is only 150 pounds. Williams is 6-3, 200 pounds and will be McCaskey's biggest threat downfield. He's tough to stop.

But who is going to throw to them? That's the question. Last season's starter, Adrian Westbrook, returns this year, but had a slight knee injury in the preseason and will split time with junior Nate Shaeffer. Not every system is built for two QBs, so it'll be interesting to see if McCaskey can keep moving without skipping a beat when Shaeffer is brought in.

McCaskey lost their best running back, Jerome LaRue, to graduation and will look to Tyler Schmalhofer and Dajuan Simms to pick up the slack there. Neither are listed as very big, but have plenty of speed. McCaskey only averaged 233 yards of offense per game last year (near the bottom of the league), so they'll have their hands full with a potent E-town defense.

Defense: McCaskey lost three linebackers to graduation and had the 12th best defense in the league last year. The Tornado are very young along both the offensive and defensive lines. Their line will be relied on the keep E-town's running game from chewing up the clock.

E-town:
By now, you know what they did last year. 10-2, section co-champs, won a district game, started 9-0, etc. etc. etc.
Offense: It all starts with the line for E-town. This year's group is bigger than last year, but time will tell if they are as fast or as tough. Losing starting tackle Evan Good for the season hurts, but as head coach Jeff Polites says, "That's why you coach all the kids, not just the starters." Someone will have to step in there to open up holes for the backs and keep quarterback Kyle McNeil off of his back.



The running game will dictate the game, especially with McCaskey's weakness on the defensive line and their inexperience at linebacker. The Tornado will get a steady diet of Conrad Heisey, bruiser Shane Rosenberry, and newcomer Mitch Weidman (who could have himself quite a season. Just a hunch). If the Bears get that running game going early and are controlling the ball for 5 or 6 minutes (that's clock minutes, not real-time minutes) at a time, they'll be tough to beat.

This is also a good test for McNeil. McCaskey has quickness in the secondary, so McNeil will have to get his chemistry right with his new receivers (watch out for Mount Calvary transfer Jeremi Jones) to keep the Tornado from loading up in the box to stop the run. The Bears will throw the ball quite a bit.

Defense: The biggest way that McCaskey can beat E-town is by airing the ball out to Williams. So what's the best way to stop that from happening? Get to the quarterback. That's where Alex Kirchner and the defensive line come in. Kirchner is ridiculously fast and if he's matched up against an inexperienced lineman, he'll have a field day. The Bears fly from sideline to sideline extremely well and should be able to limit McCaskey's speed, unless the Tornado find a hole and run straight down the field. If they try to zig zag, Shane Rosenberry will eat them for dinner.

My take: I think this will be a great game, and the first of three very difficult early season tests for the Bears. Muhlenberg and Township loom after this week (and you just know Township wants revenge), so it'll be important for the Bears to start with a win. I really think that E-town has enough to get back to the postseason this year. Sure, they might not put up the same gaudy offensive numbers that they did last year, but a win is a win – whether its 14-7 or, say, 56-14.

McCaskey coach Scott Feldman is working hard to change the attitude on his team. They unraveled last year and finished with only 20 players or so on the roster. If E-town gets out to an early lead, we'll see if last year's bickering and fighting on the Tornado sideline returns. If it does, they are cooked. But if they keep their heads and battle, this one will be a battle. I think Feldman has taken the right steps to get McCaskey's attitude back to where it was a few years ago.

FINAL PREDICTION: E-town 35 - McCaskey 14. It comes down to line play. McCaskey is depleted at d-line and LB, which is going to make it tough to stop E-town's Wing-T.

EAHS girls tennis preview

(E-town’s top five players this year will be, from left, Tricia Stone, Katie Farmer, Courtney Peffley, Meghan Rice and Kirsten Thompson.)

Head Coach: Lacie Owens, first season.

2007 Record: 2-11 overall.

Key Returners: Courtney Peffley, senior; Tricia Stone, senior; Kirsten Thompson, junior; Meghan Rice, junior.

The Bears return four of their top five players from a season ago. All four were starters for the first time last year and return with a season of experience under their belts.

Peffley will be the team’s No. 1 player, so she will get every team’s best singles player. She covers the court well and is very athletic, which will serve her well.

Stone moves up to the No. 2 slot after being E-town’s third singles player last year.

Thompson will take the No. 3 slot and Rice will be No. 4.

After being hit hard by graduation before last year, Owens inherits a group that has experience and should improve every match.

Key Loss: Jenna Garber, graduation.

Garber was E-town’s No. 1 player for the past two seasons. She gave the Bears a consistent player at the top singles spot.

Key Newcomer: Katie Farmer, junior.

Farmer wasn’t in the top five last year, but will be E-town’s No. 5 singles player. Having four of the top five players returning will help her in particular because of the returners’ ability to give her advice.

Strengths: Experience, athleticism.

E-town’s top four got their feet wet a year ago and must now be ready to jump in and compete match in and match out. They are all very athletic and have potential to be good, but time will tell how much they learned last season and how they apply it now.

Weaknesses: Lack of prior success.

E-town started out pretty well last year, going 1-1, but then lost nine straight matches in the middle of the season, including four matches by a 7-0 score. Sure, they gained experience along the way but that only gets you so far. They need to learn how to win early in the season in order to stay competitive throughout.

Outlook: Former E-town head coach Lisa McSparran had a season to develop this year’s returning four and, under her tutelage, they certainly improved by season’s end.

But E-town welcomed in Owens in the offseason and, with any new coach, there was an adjustment period between the players and coach. But Owens has the Bears ready to compete and continues teaching them how to improve with every match.

The Bears will improve on their 2-11 record from a year ago and could be a surprise team to watch out for. They have the potential to win at least six matches if the top four can make the necessary adjustments it will take to get there.

The 2008 EASD Athletic Wall of Honor inductees

It's time for E-town to hold its second induction into district's Athletic Wall of Honor, and this year's class is filled with big names from E-town's past. Here are your inductees. When I get more information on their accomplishments, I'll pass that along. But for now, here are the names, which were just released to the public.

Gene Garber, baseball. Garber was a standout pitcher for E-town and went on to play for a very long time in Major League Baseball.

David Whitmore, soccer. Whitmore was an all-state and All-American selection back in 1980.

Charlie Jackson, wrestling. Jackson is considered the father of the E-town wrestling program and was its first coach.

Tommy Miller, wrestling. Miller remains the only individual state champion in program history.

Jennifer (Williams) Mitchell, track, field hockey and basketball. Williams was a three-sport star for the Bears.

Richard D. Miller, athletic director. Miller was one of the first athletic directors for the district and also was a coach on Phil Daubert's staff.

The 1975 field hockey team. The very first PIAA state champions in Pennsylvania history.

The 1993 baseball team. This team also won a state title.

The school district is still working on getting in touch with members of both the '75 field hockey team and the '93 baseball team. If anyone out there knows of any of these player and how the district can get in touch with them, please call high school athletic office and speak to either Linda O'Connor, athletic secretary, or Shane Piper, athletic director. The number is (717) 367-1533, ext. 7.

The induction ceremony will take place on Thursday, Sept. 11 at the high school auditorium, 600 E. High St., E-town. At 6:30 p.m. there will be reception with light refreshments and the induction ceremony will begin at 7 p.m.

The inductees will also be honored at halftime of the Bears' football game on Friday, Sept. 12. The game begins at 7 p.m.

EAHS football preview

(E-town will be led by senior captains, from left, Shane Rosenberry, Kyle McNeil and Alex Kirchner.)

Head Coach: Jeff Polites, 11th season.

2007 Record: 10-2 overall, 6-1 Section Two. Section Two co-champions. Beat Shippensburg 35-7 in District Three Class AAA quarterfinals. Lost to Lampeter-Strasburg 21-0 in District Three Class AAA semifinals.

Key Returners: Shane Rosenberry, senior, FB/LB (209 rushing yards, six touchdowns; 156 tackles, four sacks, two fumble recoveries in 2007); Conrad Heisey, senior, HB/LB (794 rushing yards, five touchdowns; six tackles in 2007); Alex Kirchner, senior, G/DE (88 tackles, two sacks, three fumble recoveries in 2007); Kyle McNeil, senior, QB (538 passing yards, eight touchdowns in 2007).

These four players were all very productive for the Bears during their 2007 playoff season, and Polites expects that to continue and also for them to step up as seniors and be the leaders of the team.

“They are providing great leadership for this team. We expect them to be the players who provide most of our production,” he said.

Rosenberry was a force at linebacker last season, leading the team with 156 tackles in just 12 games, an average of 13 tackles per game. He was a second team all-section linebacker last year. He will be the quarterback of the defense from middle linebacker and is a game-changer on defense. On offense, Rosenberry carried the ball only 47 times last year, but still had six rushing touchdowns, third most on the team. He will likely see more carries this year, with the departure of running backs Andrew Weller and Jordan Hallman. He is a bruising running back and E-town will likely feed him the ball when it needs to pick up some tough yards.

Heisey led the team in carries last season and will likely be the feature running back again this year. He was an honorable mention all-section running back as a junior and will be handling the bulk of the carries for the Bears. Also, look for Heisey to have a more prominent role on defense this season, unless the Bears decide to use him sparingly at linebacker to keep him fresh on offense.

Kirchner will be the anchor of both the offensive and defensive lines. For a lineman, Kirchner is extremely quick off the snap and will be the key to protecting quarterback Kyle McNeil and opening holes for Heisey, Rosenberry and company. On defense, he had the most tackles of any lineman last year and will likely repeat that feat. He’ll be in the backfield plenty of times to blow up running plays or disrupt the quarterback’s timing. He also has a nose for the football and led the squad in fumble recoveries last year. Kirchner was a first team all-section defensive lineman and honorable mention at guard last year.

After splitting time with Preston Faith at quarterback last year, McNeil steps in for his first full-season as a starter. He completed nearly 58 percent of his passes last year, and has very good arm strength. McNeil said that, because of the amount of playing time he received last year, he is very comfortable in the offense this season. The Bears will grind the clock on the ground quite a bit, but when a passing play is called, McNeil can air it out and hurt defenses.

Key Newcomers: Jamie Kehler, senior, G/DE; Zach Myers, junior, TE/LB; David Kennedy, junior, HB/LB; Jarred Danneker, junior, RB/OLB; Mitch Weidman, junior, HB/FS; Steven Nunez, senior; WR/DB; Josh McMaster, senior, WR/DB; Jeremi Jones, senior, WR/DB; Shaun Buller, junior, T/T; Travis Eppley, junior, C/T.

Many of these players saw some time at the varsity level last year, but will be relied on to step into full-time roles this season.

On the offensive and defensive lines, the Bears welcome in Kehler, Buller and Eppley, who are all more than 200 pounds. Kehler will pair with Kirchner at the other guard spot on the offensive line and will also play a lot of defensive end. Eppley steps in at center and Buller will be the team’s best tackle with the loss of Evan Good, who suffered and injury in preseason and is likely out for the year. Their line play will be key for the Bears, who love running the football.

Weidman is a speedy junior who should see a lot of carries on offense, and will likely be used for several purposes, similar to the way Hallman was featured in the offense last season. He will also be stepping in at free safety on defense.

McMaster, Nunez and Jones, who is a transfer from Mount Calvary Christian School, will be the team’s top pass catchers. McMaster and Nunez each saw time in the offense last season and are capable of giving McNeil good targets to hit. Jones has a lot of speed and will burn defenses deep if they aren’t careful with him. All in all, it’s an athletic group of receivers. Myers gives the team a tough tight end and will be in on a lot of tackles at linebacker.

Danneker and Kennedy each saw limited carries last season, but will be needed to give the team more weapons on offense this season. They also will both be used at linebacker on defense.

Polites said that because a lot of this group was able to get on the field for the Bears last year, their transition to impact players should be quick.

“This groups provides us with quality that we are excited to see step in and perform immediately,” he said.

Key Losses: Nate Koach, WR/DB (44 catches, 705 yards, eight touchdowns; 61 tackles, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries in 2007); Andrew Weller, HB/LB (710 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, three receiving touchdowns; 70 tackles, one interception in 2007); Sean McMullen, C/LB (155 tackles, nine sacks in 2007); Oliver Thayer, OLB (50 tackles, two interceptions, one fumble recovery in 2007); Preston Faith, QB/DB (787 passing yards, eight touchdowns; 48 tackles in 2007); Jordan Hallman, HB/DB (1,192 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns, 326 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns; 23 tackles, one interception in 2007); Evan Good, senior, T/T, injury.

When you think of the great season E-town had in 2007, these six graduating players will likely be the first six to pop into your mind. Each had fantastic production on both sides of the ball and would be difficult for any team to replace.

Koach was the team’s top receiver, accounting for 51 percent of the team’s receiving yards. He also led them in interceptions and was a first team all-section receiver and second team defensive back.

Weller was the team’s third-leading rusher and among its leaders in tackles. He was a first team all-section linebacker and honorable mention running back.

McMullen was second on the team in tackles and led them in sacks, and also anchored the offensive line. He was first team all-section at both center and linebacker.

Thayer was a starting linebacker who was very tough, recording 50 tackles and grabbing two picks.

Faith was the Bears’ starting quarterback for the past three seasons and was honorable mention all-section at quarterback last year. He was also a starting defensive back.

Hallman was E-town’s most explosive offensive weapon last year, crossing the 1,000 yard mark rushing and was the team’s second-leading receiver. He was also an outstanding defensive back and was an all-section running back, punter, kick returner and defensive back).

While these players left their mark on the program with their statistics, Polites said this year’s group will carry on their example of hard work and preparation.

“The 2007 seniors were great leaders and set a wonderful example of how to prepare for a long season,” he said.

Good was slated to be E-town’s starting tackle on both the offensive and defensive lines before suffering an injury in the preseason that will likely force him to miss his senior season. Before his injury, Good was, along with Kirchner, one of the anchors of both lines. His injury will force a younger, more inexperienced lineman to step in and fill his shoes.

Strengths: Leadership, running game, athleticism.

The Bears certainly don’t want to forget about what they accomplished last year, but the seniors – namely Rosenberry, McNeil, Kirchner and Heisey – are anxious to continue what last year’s team started. And they are doing that by firing up the team during practice, working hard and maintaining a high level of intensity.

E-town’s strength on offense, as it often is, will be the running game. Heisey and Rosenberry will lead that charge. Both are experienced runners who know how and when to hit holes and get downfield as quickly as possible.

E-town may have lost a lot of starters to graduation, especially on defense, but the players that the Bears will plug in are athletic and strong, which will go a long way for them.

Weakness: Depth.

Depth could become an issue for E-town early in the season. With the large amount of seniors it lost, younger players need to get up to varsity speed quickly for the Bears to come roaring out of the gate. This problem shouldn’t persist for long, as the coaching staff will work out the depth chart quickly. But for the first game or two, E-town’s reserve players need to be ready to play whenever their number is called.

On defense, the Bears will be playing a lot of players who, while many of them saw the field last year, didn’t see it as extensively as the starters did. But the coaching staff is convinced that those players have the talent to play – and play well – at the varsity level.

Outlook: The Bears come into the season with the target of defending section champions (along with Solanco) on their backs, which means every team they play is going to leave it all on the field to try and knock E-town off.

On paper, it appears that the Bears will be weaker on defense, since only Rosenberry and Kirchner are returning starters from that stout 2007 unit. But at the recent Lancaster-Lebanon League football media day, Polites said he doesn’t get caught up in those kinds of numbers. He said they have plenty of capable players who could have started if they were seniors (E-town gives starting nods to seniors usually when there is a competition at a position with an underclassman). But the Bears have two major reasons to believe that they have what it takes to repeat last season’s stellar defensive performance, in which the Bears had the best defense in the section and the fourth-best in the L-L League – Rosenberry and Kirchner.

Both will be inflict a ton of damage to opposing quarterbacks and ball carriers and will spearhead a hard-nosed defensive attack. The Bears fly sideline-to-sideline very well on defense and, despite the nine new starters, will be able to limit scoring and create turnovers.

On offense, the running game is pretty much intact – led by workhorse Heisey. It will be interesting to see how the offensive line can jell early in the season, especially with the loss of Good leaving Kirchner as the only returning starter on the line. The line is certainly bigger than last year’s group, but time will tell if they can match the moxie and toughness that the Bears’ line displayed in 2007.

McNeil looks poised to have a big season. He has the size and arm strength to be an excellent quarterback in E-town’s Wing-T offense, but he too will need some time to get chemistry with his new receivers. He’ll face a McCaskey team in the team’s opener that finished in the middle of the road in the league in team defense last year, but the Tornado has a lot of speed. McNeil’s comfort level and decision making in the Bears’ first two or three games will set the tone for the season.

E-town had the second-ranked offense in the L-L League last year and, although they lost some very good skill players, still return a solid nucleus with a firm grasp on Polites’ Wing-T system that will put up its share of points.

The Bears have moved to Class AAAA this year, meaning they will play J.P. McCaskey, Muhlenberg and Manheim Township in their three nonleague games to start the season, but then it is right back to the grind that is Section Two.

E-town’s section is loaded with good teams, and it’ll be a battle every Friday for the Bears to repeat as section champions. Cocalico is filled with speed and handed the Bears their only regular season loss a year ago. Manheim Central looks like they will be back to playing their usual style of Baron football. Solanco, Ephrata, Garden Spot, Conestoga Valley and Lebanon are also all fairly strong and present different challenges and strengths that E-town will need to counter.

At the end of the day, though, E-town has been to the top of the Section Two mountain and knows what it needs to do to get back there. They have a solid group of playmakers almost everywhere you look and will be in the section title and district playoff races when late-October rolls around.

EAHS field hockey preview

(Abby Curtin, left, and Hannah Olnick are E-town’s captains this season.)

Head Coach: Andrew Derr, second season.

2007 record: 7-10-1 overall; 5-6-1 Section Two.

Key Returners: Abby Curtin, senior co-captain, back/midfield; Becca Bigler, senior, goalkeeper; Anna Libby, senior, forward/midfield; Kyle McKain, senior, midfield/forward; Kayla Koser, senior, back; Leah Hayward, senior, back; Mandi Shearer, junior, midfield/back; Abby Fuhrman, junior, midfield/forward; Paige Strayer, junior, midfield/forward; Carley Rosenberger, junior, forward/midfield; Jamie Ahern, junior, forward/midfield.

E-town, hit hard by graduation two years ago, welcomes its deepest class of returning starters since the 2005 season, which was also the last time the Bears tasted the postseason. The returners are spearheaded by Curtin, Bigler and Libby, who were all all-section players at their positions last year.

The defense will be led by Curtin, Koser, Hayward and Shearer – all athletic, experienced players. And if opponents manage to get off a shot, it’ll be tough to get it by Bigler, who recorded six total shutouts last year. In fact, except for three hiccups – six goals by Lower Dauphin and four each by Hershey and Exeter Township – E-town’s defense held opponents to two goals or less in every game. Except for the Lower Dauphin, Hershey and Exeter Township losses a year ago, the Bears allowed just 14 goals in their other 15 games.

At midfield, E-town is loaded with skilled players capable of scoring and setting up goals. Many of the returners will see time at either midfield and forward, or midfield and back. Libby was an all-section honorable mention midfielder last year, but will likely see some time up top. McKain, Ahern, Fuhrman, Rosenberger and Strayer will all see time at midfield and are all aggressive and run well. While depth in general is a strength for the Bears, they have the most of it at midfield, which is a luxury.

Libby, McKain, Fuhrman, Strayer, Rosenberger and Ahern will also see the majority of the time at forward and are E-town’s best scoring threats. The Bears have the potential to have a lot of weapons around the goal mouth, and E-town needs to increase its scoring output this year, especially moving back to Section One. The Bears scored only 18 goals in 18 games last year and were shut out seven times, numbers that they must improve if they are going to be in the section title hunt.

As a whole, Derr is very pleased with the nucleus. He said they give the Bears depth and experienced and, just as important, great leadership.

Key Losses: Jenna Stine, graduation; Megan Moir, graduation; Hannah Olnick, senior co-captain, injury.

It’s been a few years since the Bears didn’t have to rebuild in the preseason. E-town wasn’t hit particularly hard by graduation, but it did lose two good players in Stine and Moir.

“Jenna and Megan were great team players and their work ethic will be missed,” Derr said.

Although they didn’t lose a lot of players to graduation, E-town will be without one of their most talented girls this season – senior co-captain Hannah Olnick. Olnick, arguably the team’s best offensive player, suffered a season-ended knee injury during a preseason scrimmage. And while E-town will miss her putting balls in the back of the cage, they’ll also miss her leadership on the field. But while she won’t be lacing up her cleats, she won’t be far from her teammates.

“Her leadership on the field will be missed and her skills and abilities will also be missed,” Derr said of his senior co-captain. “She is a valuable part of the team, a great leader and captain, has solid work ethic and great personality for this team. Although she will not be on the field, she will be fighting with the team from the sidelines through every single second of every game and every practice. She loves this team and believes in them very much.”

With the loss of Olnick, E-town’s offensive players must step in to catapult the Bears’ goal-scoring numbers.

Key Newcomers: Erin Miller, junior, forward; Jenna Rosenberry, sophomore, forward/midfield; Brittany Walker, sophomore, goalkeeper; Caryn Bailey, freshman, forward.

Miller, Rosenberry and Walker all saw some time at the varsity level last year, but will return for more expansive roles this season. Along with Bailey, they are solid players who have embraced Derr’s philosophy.

“They have good work ethic and are tough players,” he said.

Strengths: Depth, defense.

The luxury of having so many returning players is that Derr will be able to rotate fresh players in through all areas of the field throughout the game, which will keep the Bears in close contests late in the second half.

E-town will also be led by its stingy defense, and that will be important as they make the jump to compete with Section One teams like Warwick, Hempfield, Penn Manor and company. With the level of competition in Section One, E-town can’t afford many defensive lapses. Conversely, the Bears will need to capitalize on the scoring opportunities they get.

Bigler and company will be a tough unit to crack, and could carry the Bears back to the postseason.

Weaknesses: Offense.

With the amount of returning potential on offense, it’s tough to call this a weakness for the Bears. But any way you slice it, E-town only averaged one goal per game in 2007 and are playing the season without Olnick, who could be their most dangerous weapon. That said, this year’s group does have the benefit of a year or two of varsity experience, so the offensive unit should be able to hang some more tallies on the board this year. They have the confidence of their head coach.

“We do not feel we are weak in any specific area. We are ready to compete,” Derr said.

Outlook: Things are definitely looking up in E-town. They have a boat-load of talented players coming back, but talent alone doesn’t always translate to wins. What the Bears do have that could make them even better than their talent is a great attitude and cohesiveness, and that will serve them well.

“I expect that these girls will compete very hard in every game. They have great team chemistry and they are a hungry group,” said Derr.

Having such depth will serve the Bears well in the difficult jump back to Section One this year. Every game for the Bears will be difficult, especially starting with Exeter Township and Central Dauphin on back-to-back days to begin the year. But E-town has confidence that they are ready to compete with anyone and get back to where they were in 2005 – the league and district playoffs.

“Moving up from Section Two to Section One will be a challenge, but I feel the girls are up for it,” Derr said. “We will compete hard in every game and be ready for whatever challenge comes our way.”

If the offense can catch up to where the defense was last year, E-town could make a triumphant return to Section One and knock off some of the section’s best teams.

EAHS Boys Soccer Preview

(Josh Reem will be a key player for the Bears this season.)

Head Coach: James Sostack, 14th season, 2007 Section Two coach of the year.

2007 Record: 11-7-1 overall. Section Two co-champions. Beat Lancaster Mennonite 2-1 in Lancaster-Lebanon League quarterfinals. Lost to Manheim Township, 2-1 in double overtime, in L-L League semifinals. Lost to Wilson, 1-0 in overtime, in first round of District Three Class AAA playoffs.

Key Returners: Josh Reem, senior, F; Adam Morton, senior, MF; Mitchell Capelli, senior, D; Kevin Romanauskas, senior, MF; Shane Long, senior, D; Jason Good, junior, D; Sean Strangeway, junior, MF; Quinn Cozzens, senior, GK; Nathan Clarke, senior, MF; Ethan Luscian, senior, D; Brian Savage, senior.

E-town returns nine starters from last year’s section championship team, setting the Bears up for another good season.

Reem will be the team’s primary offensive force and will be needed at forward to provide scoring for E-town. He was a second-team all-section player last year.

At midfield, the Bears are loaded. The midfield will be led by Romanauskas, a first-team all-section player a year ago, and a smart player with a lot of skill. Morton, Strangeway and Clarke are also good in the middle of the field and will be used to control the pace of the game and set up scoring chances for E-town.

The Bears’ defense will be led by Cozzens, a first team all-section goalie last season. Cozzens recorded five shutouts last year and is athletic with good hands. He’ll keep E-town in a lot of games by making some outstanding saves.

Long, Good, Capelli and Luscian will be playing in front of Cozzens. All are tough defenders and know their section opponents and how to keep them off balance. The Bears allowed an average of only 1.3 goals per game last year and return the core of that defense with another year of experience under their belts.

Savage could be an x-factor for E-town this year. He was a starter on defense as a sophomore before missing all of last year with a knee injury. He returns for his senior season this year and gives E-town another talented player who can play defense or at midfield. If he can get back to where he was before the knee injury, he could be one of the keys to the Bears’ playoff hopes.

Key Losses: Tyler Aldinger, MF; Peter Davis, F; Bryan Kob, MF; Weston Parrett, D.

The loss of Davis, an all-section and all-state player who led the team in scoring, leaves a big hole in the offense that the team will need to work to replace. Davis was unstoppable at times last year and his shoes will be difficult to fill.

Kob was a steady midfielder who made a lot of plays for the Bears. And Parrett left everything on the field in defense when he was out there. Both were excellent players on last year’s team.

Aldinger was hampered by an injury last year, but had a good tenure in his time in E-town.

Key Newcomers: Ryan Sostack, junior, MF; Michael Van Horn, junior, D; Harry Rhodes, senior, GK; Drew Reinhold, sophomore, MF; Joey Funck, freshman, D/MF.

E-town brings in some good talent this season and, based on the amount of injuries the Bears suffered last year, they need to be ready to play starting with the season opener.

The most immediate impact from this group will likely be from Sostack, who could have a spot as a starter in the midfield.

Strengths: Experience, defense.

The amount of injuries the Bears saw last year did have one positive outcome – it gave a lot of players the chance to get on the field. Because of that, E-town will be one of the most experienced teams in the L-L League. Not many teams win their section, advance to the league semifinals and return nine starters the next year. The Bears are playoff-tested, and that should make them tough to beat.

“While unpredictable, we could be a dark horse in a talented L-L League,” Sostack said.

With the return of Savage this year, E-town’s defense will be stout. They are all smart and athletic and opponents will have a tough time finding the back of the net against them.

Weaknesses: Consistent scoring, depth.

In a lot of games last year, Davis was the offense. He routinely found holes in the defense and used his speed and touch to get off good shots, score 19 goals and assist on 12 more. The Bears had only 10 goals that Davis didn’t score or assist on last year. E-town must find a player that can earn the respect of opposing defenses enough to key on – and that guy could be Reem.

The Bears do have plenty of goal-scorers, though. Reem, Romanauskas and Strangeway can all score, but will need to do so consistently to keep the pressure off of E-town’s defense.

Outside of the nine returning starters, E-town’s bench isn’t very deep, which means that it can’t afford the amount of injuries it suffered a year ago.

Outlook: In the section, E-town has an excellent shot to repeat as champions. But they’ll have to go through Conestoga Valley, Ephrata and Garden Spot to do so. All three of those teams have the talent to win the section, so the Bears will need to be at their best all year long. But Sostack and his team are always in contention, and he said the rest of the league should keep the Bears on their radar.

“(We have) consistently finished in the top two (in the section), so the league should be careful not to forget their northern cousins who return nine starters,” he said.

With so many returning players, team chemistry will be high for the Bears and will help them work the ball around and make things happen.

“Chemistry and working as a unit will be essential if we hope to repeat as Section Two champions,” said Sostack.

E-town pushed league powerhouse Manheim Township to the brink in the L-L semifinals last year, falling 2-1 in double overtime. The Blue Streaks return another good team and it could come down to them and E-town again in the playoffs.

With what they have returning, E-town should find itself in the thick of the Section Two title race and playing deep into the L-L and District Three playoffs.

EAHS Cross Country Preview

(The senior runners for E-town’s cross country programs are, back row from left, Steve Hoffer, Corey Faus, Dustin Horning, Chad Barninger and Dan Hoover. Bottom row, from left, Luke Fox, Rachael Heckman and Jon Carlin.)

Boys Cross Country

Head Coach: John Spittal, 14th season.

2007 Record: 11-10 overall.

Key Returners: Dustin Horning, senior, captain; Chad Barninger, senior; Corey Landis, junior; Jon Carlin, senior; Elliott Clark, junior.

E-town returns a solid top five, led by Horning and Barninger. With the graduation of Conestoga Valley’s Vince McNally, Horning could contend for the top spot in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. He is experienced and fast and will win just about every meet the Bears enter this year. Watch for him to challenge for the top spot in the L-L Meet on Oct. 14 and advance to districts and, possibly, states.

Barninger is a good No. 2 runner that Spittal said will push Horning for the top spot and has the talent to medal in districts and get to states. His ability to push Horning might make E-town’s No. 1 runner even better. But together, Barninger and Horning form a formidable 1-2 punch for the Bears.

Landis and Carlin will run No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. While both are strong individually (Landis could push for a state berth), they could very well be the keys to the Bears’ team record. If they run well behind Horning and Barninger, there aren’t a lot of teams in the section or league that are going to be able to handle E-town.

Clark did see some time at the varsity level last year and is a runner to keep an eye on. If there is an injury or if someone falters, Clark could be someone who steps in without missing a beat.

Key Losses: Ben Gotwalt, graduation; Chris Klinger, graduation.

Both Gotwalt and Klinger brought leadership and kept things loose on the team last year.

Key Newcomers: Nate Kreider, freshman; Drew Sollenburger, sophomore; Zach McCurdy, sophomore.

These three underclassmen add to the Bears’ depth and will get a feel this year of what it will take to run good times against varsity competition.

It won’t be long before Kreider finds himself near the top of the varsity depth chart. He was the No. 2 runner in the Lancaster-Lebanon League at the junior high level last year.

“He is an excellent runner with huge potential,” said Spittal.

Sollenburger makes the jump to varsity after two years at junior high and will increase E-town’s depth at the No. 4 and 5 slots.

McCurdy could be primed for a breakout season. Spittal said he has run behind Sollenburger for the past two years and is ready to bust onto the varsity scene.

Strengths: Experience, depth.

All of the Bears’ top runners have been at the varsity level for a couple of years now and that will help them get through the grind that is the cross country season. E-town will face its share of injuries, but with the depth it has at its fourth and fifth slots, that’s something it can overcome.

“Many runners put in miles over the summer,” Spittal said. “The number of good runners makes sickness and injuries problems that can be overcome. We are strong, experienced and deep.”

Weaknesses: Handling pressure.

It’s not that the Bears can’t handle any pressure at all. It’s more that they are untested as a team. E-town has never had a target on its back as the team to knock off, but it very well could this year with what it will put on the course every meet. If the Bears are going to achieve what they are capable of, they must remain focused.

“We have never had the pressure of being one of the best teams, therefore the team is going to have to keep their eyes on the prize,” Spittal said.

Outlook: This team has a chance to be as good as or better than the 2006 group that went 14-7 – the best record in program history. Spittal certainly has high hopes for the group and lots of confidence in them.

“The team has a great chance to break the total wins school record,” he said. “I think we have a chance to contend for the Lancaster-Lebanon League team title, be in the top five in districts and be the first E-town cross country team to qualify for states.”

As with any sport, the Bears need to stay healthy to have a shot at those 14 wins. If E-town’s top three can stay healthy, they could have one of the best seasons in program history. And they’ll also make their mark individually. Spittal said he thinks Horning should medal at districts and has a shot at a state medal. He also thinks that Barninger and Landis have what it takes to be state qualifiers. If he’s right and the Bears do get three state qualifiers, then the team wins will come. In bunches.

Girls Cross Country

Head Coach: John Spittal, 14th year.

2007 record: 12-9 overall.

Key Returners: Shea Mascia, junior; Sarah Kauffman, junior; Kristi Frye, junior; Adele Roeder, sophomore; Rachael Heckman, senior.

The Bears will continue their resurgence this year with the return of these five good runners.

Mascia emerged last year as the Bears’ best runner and will be E-town’s top athlete again this season. She was an honorable mention Lancaster-Lebanon League all-star last year, and will be one of the first runners to cross the finish line every time she steps onto the course and will be E-town’s biggest threat this year.

Kauffman is entering her third season as a varsity runner already and has had an outstanding preseason, according to Spittal.

Frye is one of E-town’s most improved runners and could have a standout season for the Bears if she can continue working hard and getting better.

One runner to watch for E-town is Roeder. She is only a sophomore and has the potential to be one of the better runners in the section, if she can avoid injury.

“She could be scary good if she stays healthy,” Spittal said.

Heckman is the team’s leader and the only senior the Bears have. She is another good runner, but brings the senior intangibles that teams need to succeed.

“She has good leadership skills and has been working hard to bring the girls together,” said Spittal.

Key Losses: Caity Fisher, graduation.

Fisher was an L-L all-star last year and one of E-town’s best runner during her tenure.

“We will miss her work ethic and leadership,” said Spittal.

If those two qualities rubbed off on her teammates last year, the Bears will be in great shape.

Key Newcomers: Liz Schlicker, junior; Angela Vertucci, sophomore; Julia Spittal, freshman.

The Bears will add to their depth in the top spots with these three promising runners.

Schlicker is running cross country for the first time, and Spittal said she has been a pleasant surprise. Look for her to work her way to the top and be a consistent runner for the Bears.

Vertucci and Spittal, while they are underclassmen, have the potential to run extremely fast times.

Spittal said Vertucci worked very hard during the summer and that it has shown so far in the preseason. She is used to running two miles, but Spittal said the move to 5K should be no problem for her.

Julia Spittal finished second in the Lancaster-Lebanon League at the junior high level last year. She could have an immediate impact at the varsity level as a freshman.

Strengths: Potential, depth.

The Bears are loaded with runners who could all win a meet on any given day. E-town’s top seven runners are all talented and form the deepest E-town girls team in recent memory. If the Bears find themselves in a close meet, their depth could put them over the top on plenty of occasions.

Weakness: Intersquad competition.

Depth is sometimes a good problem to have for most coaches. The Bears’ top seven runners are all very good and will push each other to the max in practice – which will make them stronger in meets.

However, if one runner is having an off-day and falls behind, they could lose confidence, something that Spittal will keep an eye on.

“The strength of having six or seven girls being very good can be upsetting to someone in they have a bad day in practice or in the race,” he said.

It’s a problem that most coaches would like to have. But that’s where the leadership of Heckman and the upperclassmen will come into play. They must keep spirits up throughout the entire team.

Outlook: It’s amazing how far the E-town program has come in just two short years. In 2005, the Bears didn’t have enough runners on the roster to compete as a team and finished 0-21 since they had to forfeit every meet in the team scores. But interest in cross country began to grow in 2006, as E-town finished a solid 10-11. Last year, the team blossomed, going 12-9 and setting the tone for a bright future for the program.

Now the Bears are looking to take the next step toward contention for a team title. E-town has a solid group of juniors and talent at the underclassman level to have a good team for the next couple of years at least.

2008 is a year that the program has been building toward and this could be E-town’s coming out party.

“The girls could be great. Top five in the league or better if nobody gets hurt,” said Spittal. “Leagues, districts and state medals are a real possibility.”

With the level of improvement the program has seen in two years, they could prove Spittal right. Confidence is high for the Bears, and with good reason.

EAHS girls volleyball preview

(E-town’s key players this season include, from left, Megan Myers, Ally Stengel, Kelly Koons, Kelly Sebzda, Trisha Stauffer and Amanda Heisey.)

Head Coach: Danielle Bert, second season.

Key Returners: Ally Stengel, senior, setter; Trisha Stauffer, senior, libero; Kelly Koons, senior, opposite hitter; Kelly Sebzda, senior, outside hitter; Megan Myers, senior, middle hitter; Leigh Miller, junior, outside hitter/middle hitter.

After going through last year with a relatively inexperienced team, E-town returns a solid core of upperclassmen to lead them this year.

Stengel is now in her second year as the team’s setter and will be feeding the ball to all of E-town’s hitters.

Koons, Sebzda, Myers and Miller will all be relied on to get the majority of the Bears’ kills. They learned a lot from their first varsity seasons a year ago and will be back to carry the Bears offensively.

Stauffer is E-town’s libero. She is a smart senior and will show leadership on the court.

Key Losses: Emily Baughman, graduation; Kristen Lowe, graduation; Hannah Slack, graduation.

E-town wasn’t hit too hard by graduation, but it did lose three of its best players. Baughman and Lowe were both stellar defensive players and their serve reception and digging skills will be missed.

Slack was E-town’s strongest hitter last year and was also one of the team’s best blockers.

Key Newcomers: Rachel Dern, junior, outside hitter; Kayla Walmer, junior, opposite hitter; Megan Thomas, junior, defensive specialist; Amanda Heisey, senior, defensive specialist.

E-town is stocked with good hitters, and Dern and Walmer add to that mix. Thomas and Heisey will prove to be valuable immediately with their defensive skills.

Strengths: Serving.

According to Bert, the Bears serve the ball well and, more importantly, are consistent with it. E-town will need to continue that in order to get into the playoff hunt.

Weaknesses: Serve receive.

The Bears are lacking in serve reception, which is where players like Stauffer, Dern and Walmer could come in. If they can limit opposing aces, and get the ball to Stengel to set up E-town’s big hitters, the Bears should finish about the .500 mark.

Outlook: Now in her second full season as head coach, Bert has a good feel of her players and their progress has been evident so far.

“Our goal is to have a never give up attitude, which we have been doing well in practices so far,” she said.

The Bears are a close-knit group and have good on-court chemistry, which usually leads to lots of points being scored and matches won. E-town will rely on its returning players for leadership and to keep the atmosphere positive throughout the season.

E-town rebuilt last year and now has a solid core to take the necessary steps back to contention. Bert gives them stability at the the coaching position and is now in her second season working with the same players. That work should begin to pay off as the Bears take the court beginning this Saturday.

Bert is confident that her team will use its leadership and unity to make a move toward the top of the section standings.

“We should have a winning season and will work together as a team,” she said.

Watch for the Bears to be in contention for a league playoff spot.

EAHS Golf preview

(The E-town golf team will be led by, from left, Nico Givens, Sam Hockley, Ben Grabowski and Ryan Shenk)

Head Coach: Shane Kargo, 14th season.

Current 2008 Record: 1-11 overall.

Key Returners: Nico Givens, senior, co-captain; Ben Grabowski, senior; Sam Hockley, senior, co-captain; Tyler Moyer, senior; Ryan Shenk, senior; Cody Morinchin, junior; Stephanie Skees, junior.
This group is led by Grabowski, E-town’s lone district qualifier last year. He is already off to a good start and has the low average on the team.

Hockley and Grabowski are back for their third-straight varsity seasons and are the two most experienced players on the team. Givens will likely be one of E-town’s top players this year and will be around the leaders often.

Shenk, Morinchin and Moyer round out the Bears’ top six. All three are returning letterwinners, so they know what needs to be done to shoot low scores at the courses around the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Every one in this group should be familiar with the courses, which could translate into lower scores for E-town.

Morinchin has been fantastic so far this season, and has the second best average on the team. He could have a breakout year for the Bears.

Skees was the team’s girl’s qualifier at last year’s state tournament and should be back in districts this season.

Key Loss: Hayden Gerhart.
Gerhart was a two-time letterwinner for the Bears and was a consistent player.

Key Newcomers: Seth Bashore, junior; Evan Hayward, sophomore; Michael Kennedy, sophomore; Brett Vuxta, sophomore; Trevor Crum, sophomore.
The Bears have a solid nucleus of young talents, led by Kennedy and Vuxta, who will get the most match experience out of this group. If those two can continue getting better as the year goes on, E-town could be in good shape in the next two years.

Bashore, Hayward and Crum need to be ready to step in and play any matches if they are needed. In the meantime, they’ll continue working on the intricacies of their games. All are good players who will be ready if their number is called.

Strength: Experience.
E-town’s five seniors – Givens, Grabowski, Hockley, Moyer and Shenk – are the leader’s of this year’s team. They’ve been around for a few years now, and will be able to help some of the younger players learn the courses and how to play them the right way.

With E-town jumping from Section Two to Section One this year, senior leadership will be a key to make that transition smooth.

Weakness: Competing with section opponents.
The Bears are a better team than they were last year – but they are also playing much tougher competition up at Section One. In fact, the Bears are averaging 23 less strokes per match as a team through two matches than they were last year. That improvement is major, but they don’t have much to show for it in the win-loss columns, sitting at just 1-11.

Outlook: E-town’s record is deceiving because the Bears are heads and shoulders better than they were last year, but they are competing against powerhouse teams like Manheim Township, Warwick and Cedar Crest in Section One this season.

“We are a much improved team, (but) are struggling in the win/loss column,” said Kargo. “The scores we are posting would be at the top of Section Two, but we accept our position in Section One and will continue getting better.”

They are already getting better, considering that, last season, E-town’s stroke average per match as a team was 446, and that they are at 423 right now – a 23-stroke improvement. That averages out to nearly four strokes per starter, which is a promising number.

With the stiff competition in Section One, Kargo has set a goal to average 425 or less per match for his team. If the Bears can do that, they’ll get all of their top six into the Lancaster-Lebanon League Tournament on Sept. 29, something they haven’t done for the past two seasons.

Right now, E-town has a good mix of seasoned veterans and promising underclassmen. And while they won’t compete for a team section title this year, considering that Manheim Township is off to a 12-0 start, the Bears have plenty of reasons to be optimistic and will be primed to make solid runs in the L-L and District Three tournaments.

EAHS Lax coach resigns, new track coach to be hired

I was just looking through the agenda for tonight's E-town school board meeting and came across a few things regarding EAHS Athletics staff that I figured I'd pass along.

The first was the resignation of Matt Reesor, the EAHS head varsity lacrosse coach. According to the agenda, the resignation was effective on July 30. Reesor was only the head coach for one year. EAHS Athletic Director Shane Piper was gone for the day, but I did leave him a message today. If he gives me more info. on Reesor's resignation, I'll pass it along.

I also noticed that Kathryn Tragis, a varsity cheerleading assistant coach for the fall season will have her contract terminated pending school board approval. Again, I'll try and pass along any further information I can get regarding her termination.

A few standard athletic staff hires for 08-09 are also on tonight's agenda. They are:
• Jeremy Adams, as varsity soccer assistant coach I.
• Eric Clair, as varsity football assistant coach I.
• Jeffrey Harnish, as varsity track head coach and winter coed track head coach.

Harnish will replace Bill Vogt, who will not return to head up E-town's track program. I'll try and get with Jeff and get an interview and post something both here and in the print edition about his hiring. Congratulations to Jeff.

Football scrimmage notes...

(All photos taken by Chris Bradley).

On Saturday, I got up early (yes, 9 a.m. on a Saturday is early for me) and headed over to Thompson Field for E-town's first scrimmage of the year against Cedar Crest.

There really isn't a whole lot to report on. I mean, it was only the first scrimmage, but it was nice to be back at Thompson and see some people hitting each other again. Football, welcome back, old friend. The Den missed you. The teams started things out with running 10 plays each on offense, and then rotating through second string and JV teams to get everyone 10 plays.

On the projected first team varsity offense's possession, the running game looked solid, but I could still see some rust in the passing game. Nothing major, just typical preseason stuff you'll see at any level of the game. Give them a few weeks to get some chemistry and there is definite potential there. QB Kyle McNeil looked like he saw the field well. Again, though, E-town's running game (notably Conrad Heisey, Shane Rosenberry and Mitch Weidman) looked good, hitting holes quickly. And if the running game looks good, that means the O-line is playing well. You can see the size difference from last year's line.

Defensively, the first team looked fast and aggressive, similar to last year. They go sideline-to-sideline well and forced an eventual interception by Steven Nunez on Cedar Crest's first possession.

Zach Myers broke a touchdown run from more than 60 yards in the varsity offense's second possession.

After the JV got some work in, they sent the first teams back out again for two 12-minute running quarters, with first downs and all – more like a real game than the first 10 plays.

E-town punted on it's first possession, but Shane Rosenberry had one of the biggest hits of the day on third down. McNeil rolled out to his left to throw and Rosenberry (who plays FB) stayed in on protection. A Cedar Crest lineman broke free and had McNeil sized up, but Rosenberry came from nowhere to lay him out, garnering some "oooohhs" from the crowd.

When Cedar Crest had the ball, Alex Kirchner became a menace. The Falcons had good starting field position at the 20, but Kirchner lived in the backfield, and came up with a third down sack to stop them.

On the first play for the Bears in their second possession, the Bears ran an inside reverse to Weidman, who broke a long 80 yard TD run. I have a feeling that Weidman will be used mainly the way the Bears used Jordan Hallman last year. Weidman is a little bigger than Hallman and maybe not quite as fast (yet, but he's only a junior), but he has tons of upside.

That's about all I had time to stick around for, but it felt nice to be back around some football again. Hey, only 11 days until the first regular season game. It'll be here in no time.

Well...that went well

For those who didn't check the blog last week, I played yesterday in the 2008 Jake Gittlen Memorial Golf Tournament on the East Course at Hershey Country Club. I qualified to play in it at the Elizabethtown Rotary Golf MAJOR last Monday, thanks to the stellar play of the other three people in my foursome. I took a notebook and pen along and tried to keep a running diary of the round. Here's what transpired:

• My playing partner, Don Cottle, and I arrived at the country club at around 6:30 a.m., which is insanely early for a person like me. Hey, I like to sleep in, what can I say. Anyway 6:30 a.m. to me is unchartered waters...and I was like a freaking zombie, but I downed a 24 oz. Diet Pepsi to wake me up, and I was ready to rock. Oh yeah.

• As I pulled into the Hershey CC, I immediately knew that it was too nice of a place for a dirtbag like me to be at. You ever get that feeling? You know, you pull into a parking lot filled with Mercedes', Lexus, Navigators, etc? But I pulled it off like I belonged (or so I think). So the caddy or whoever takes our bags and I get that uncomfortable feeling again. Do I tip him? Do I shake his hand? Too much to think about. I need a manual or something. God I'm awkward.

• We head in for a light breakfast of muffins and fruit. I guess they didn't want golfers to be too full before going out in the heat. Good idea, but I'm wishing for a few slabs of scrabble, some hash browns and about 4 or 5 fried eggs at that point. Also inside, they have the qualifying scores from Wednesday posted (qualifying for the weekend rounds was Wed. and Thurs.) I see the lowest score is a 68 and again realize that I'm out of my league. So I decided to scan the board for the absolute highest score, and shoot for that...

Scanning....75....77....80...oh boy....85....88...man, I'm going to finish dead last....wait, what's that...102! Yeah baby, that's my goal, shoot less than 102. Hey, mama always told me to shoot for the stars.

• In an effort to see how badly I was about to putt, Don and I head to the practice green with about 20 minutes to kill. My putter was actually working a little bit. I had no idea it would actually work on the course, but it did. Sorry, getting ahead of myself. Saw a guy in purple pants. Wow. Started thinking of Grimace, which led me to think of McDonald's, which led me to think of McGriddles. I need to lose weight.

• Head to the carts to meet the rest of our playing group, a guy named Carlos and Greg, who also qualified by playing in the Rotary tournament. Good times. Nice to see we weren't playing with snotty people who would get annoyed with my bad, slow play. We headed to tee off on Hole 9 and get our day started.

I notice on the scorecards, that my name was spelled "Chirs". This irritates me for some reason. I mean, didn't they think, "Hey who has the name Chirs. This guy's name is probably Chris, let's change it." Woe is me.

• Hole 9: First tee shot of the day was nice. Long and in the fairway. Hey, maybe I won't be so bad after all. I'm gonna destroy that 102...

Oh yeah, I forgot how much my short game stinks. I finally get on the green, but settle for a 7 on a par 4. Bad times.

• Hole 10: So much for hitting my driver well. But hey, my short game is much better here. If only I could put the 2 together. End with a 6 on a par 4. 102 sounds pretty good already.

• Hole 11: Short tee shot, but it went straight. One thing at a time, man. Second shot was just off the green, and my first chance for par! Starting to wake up now baby.

Crap, still end up with a 6. If these par 4s were par 6s, I'd be in good shape. Alas, they're not.

• Hole 12: Our first par 3 of the day. I hate par 3s. And I mean HATE. We're talking like the ninja turtles hated Shredder, that level of hate. Flub my tee shot and end up with a 5. I'm a double bogey machine. Guess that's not a good machine to be if I were to be a machine.

• Hole 13: We go from our first par 3 of the day to our first par 5. Actually a pretty respectable hole for me, as I start to swing the club a little better. End with a bogey on that hole.

• Hole 14: Hit my tee shot long, but waaaaaay right, and under some trees. Trees would eventually become my nemesis on the day, and I'm only now figuring this out. I played a punch shot through the trees, though. Sure, it was by accident, since I have zero idea how to actually hit a punch shot, but nevertheless, a punch shot it was.

• Hole 15: The wheels are starting to come off. There's a lake on the right here, and the first 2 guys plunked them in there, so immediately I know that if they do it (and they are good golfers), I'm destined to do it. I hit it dead at the lake, but it's a good thing I'm not very strong because it settles right in front of it, under some trees.

As I line up my shot, I see that I need to hit it low to get through the trees, but high enough to get over the lake and the bunker that's on the other side of it. Of course, I have no idea how to do this, or if it's physically possible. Hey, I'm a journalist, not a physicist. Anyway, I proceed to feed the fish my next two shots. Hope their hungry, and they like Nike golf balls. Shoot a 7 on a par 3. Consider jamming my tee into my ear.

• Hole 16: Look out, on in 3 and looking for a par putt. Struck the putt beautifully from about 25 feet and it lips out. Proceed to miss 8-inch bogey putt and end up three putting for a 6. Climb tree to retrieve putter. Apologize to putter. I need some, um, liquid refreshment soon (if you catch my drift).

• Hole 17: Another chance at par, but miss from about 5 inches. Would drive the golf cart into a lake if I was riding alone. Hershey CC is kicking my butt.

• Hole 1: Sting my tee shot, but, of course, it starts heading for water on the right. But it hits a rock and caroms straight out into the fairway. Feels strange playing a drive out of the fairway. Good times, though.

• Hole 4: What's this? Did I really just hit a 4-iron from the rough (shocker) onto the green in 2? Can you say birdie chance?

I can't, end up three putting for a 5. Decide to stop keeping track of holes because it's not a real good idea for me to be holding sharp objects like a pen anymore.

The rest of the day was pretty much like this. Up and down (mostly down). Don ended up showing me something that I was doing wrong, though, with about 5 holes to go – I wasn't transferring my weight through on the swing. After that, I played pretty well. If I keep practicing that swing, I can definitely improve.

I did hit a good tee shot on our last hole, which was No. 8, and finished the round with my first and only par of the day. Hey, one par is better than none. Baby steps people. Baby steps.

As I added up my score I finished with a ... drum roll please ... 103. Damn. I thought I was doomed to be dead last, but then two people went out and shot higher than me. That's right, not last baby! I finished 243 out of 245. Whew.

All in all though, it was a great day. Played with three great guys (who all shot in the 80s by the way, one (Greg) even made the cut at 81), and played at a beautiful golf course. And learned a few things along the way. I've only been playing semi-seriously for about a year or so (and by semi-seriously, I mean about 4 times a summer), so there's plenty of room for improvement. I'll get there one of these days.

If you want to see the full scores of the day, click here. As you'll see, Chirs finished down there at 243.

That's all for now. I'll post something Sunday or Monday on the E-town football scrimmage tomorrow. Until then, thanks for playing along E-town.

EAHS Fall Sports Schedules

After a long summer of virtually no posts here at the Bears Den, today we officially kick off the fall sports season.

As I type this, E-town athletes are on the practice fields sweating through two-a-days in hopes of coming away with some hardware this fall. And as they do that, I figured I'd post the schedules of each EAHS varsity. Remember to start visiting here more often, because the posting will be more frequent with sports getting underway. I've included scrimmages on these schedules in case you want to get out and see some preseason action. I'll be at the football scrimmage on Saturday morning and will post something here (not in the print edition of the paper) on that game.

OK, here they are...and welcome back fall. Good to have you.

FOOTBALL

All home games played at Thompson Field
Preseason:
Saturday, Aug. 16, vs. Cedar Crest (scrimmage), 9 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 22, at East Pennsboro Area (scrimmage), 6 p.m.
Regular season (section games in bold):
Friday, Aug. 29, at J.P. McCaskey, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 5, vs. Muhlenberg, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 12, vs. Manheim Township (Hall of Fame induction), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20, at Solanco, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 26, at Conestoga Valley, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 3, vs. Garden Spot, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 10, vs. Cocalico (Homecoming), 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 17, at Manheim Central, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 24, at Ephrata, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 31, vs. Lebanon (Senior/Parent Night), 7 p.m.
The Bears have something special planned for each home game, but I'll save that for another blog entry.

FIELD HOCKEY

All home games played at Jane Hoover Field
Preseason:
Saturday, Aug. 16, Scrimmage Play Day, 8:30 a.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Donegal (scrimmage), 4 p.m.
Regular season:
Friday, Aug. 29, at Exeter Township, noon.
Saturday, Aug. 30, vs. Central Dauphin, 10 a.m.
Thursday, Sept. 4, vs. Cedar Crest, 4:15 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 5, vs. Tulpehocken, 4 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 8, vs. Warwick, 4:15 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 10, vs. Manheim Township, 4:15 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 12, at Penn Manor, 4:15 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 15, vs. Hempfield, 4:15 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 17, at J.P. McCaskey, 4:15 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 19, vs. Conestoga Valley, 4:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Cedar Crest, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 25, at Warwick, 4:15 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 29, at Manheim Township, 4:15 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 1, vs. Penn Manor, 4 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 3, at Hempfield, 4 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 6, vs. J.P. McCaskey (Senior/Parent Night), 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 8, at Conestoga Valley, 4 p.m.
Notable dates:
Saturday, Oct. 11, League playoffs begin.
Thursday, Oct. 16, L-L Championship game.
Friday, Oct. 17, District playoffs begin.
Saturday, Nov. 1, District Championship game.

BOYS SOCCER

Home games played at Field No. 4 (behind East High Elementary) and at Thompson Field.
Preseason:
Monday, Aug. 18, at Hershey (scrimmage), 3:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 26, vs. Lower Dauphin (scrimmage), 4:15 p.m., field 4.
Regular Season:
Tuesday, Sept. 2, at Garden Spot, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 5, vs. Ephrata, 4 p.m., field 4.
Monday, Sept. 8, vs. Warwick, 7 p.m., Thompson Field.
Wednesday, Sept. 10, at Cedar Crest, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 12, vs. Manheim Township, 4 p.m. field 4.
Tuesday, Sept. 16, at Solanco, 4 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 18, vs. Lebanon, 7 p.m., Thompson Field.
Saturday, Sept. 20, at Conestoga Valley, 10 a.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Penn Manor, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 25, vs. Hempfield, 7 p.m., Thompson Field.
Monday, Sept. 29, at J.P. McCaskey, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 1, vs. Garden Spot, 4 p.m., field 4.
Saturday, Oct. 4, at Ephrata, 7 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 6, vs. Solanco, 4 p.m., field 4
Wednesday, Oct. 8, at Lebanon, 4 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 11, vs. Conestoga Valley (Senior/Parent Night), 2:30 p.m., at Elizabethtown College.
Notable Dates:
Tuesday, Oct. 14, League playoffs begin.
Saturday, Oct. 18, L-L Championship game.
Monday, Oct. 20, District playoffs begin.
Saturday, Nov. 1, District Championship game.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
All home matches at Daubert Gymnasium
Preseason:
Tuesday, Aug. 19, at Elco (scrimmage), 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 26, vs. Lower Dauphin (scrimmage), 4 p.m.
Regular Season:
Saturday, Aug. 30, at Lancaster Mennonite Tournament, TBA.
Tuesday, Sept. 2, vs. Garden Spot, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 4, vs. Ephrata, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 9, at Lebanon, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 11, at Manheim Central, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 13, at Falcon Classic, TBA, Cedar Crest High School.
Tuesday, Sept. 16, vs. Conestoga Valley, 7p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 18, at Solanco, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20, at Cedar Cliff Tournament, TBA.
Monday, Sept. 22, vs. Middletown, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Garden Spot, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 30, at Ephrata, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 7, vs. Lebanon, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 9, at Conestoga Valley, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 14, vs. Solanco, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 16, vs. Lampeter-Strasburg (Senior/Parent Night), 7 p.m.
Notable Dates:
Tuesday, Oct. 28, District playoffs begin.
Saturday, Nov. 1, District Championship match.

GOLF

All home matches at Sunset Golf Course
Regular Season:
Tuesday, Aug. 19, L-L Match at Crossgates Country Club, 11 a.m.
Thursday, Aug. 21, home L-L Match, 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 27, L-L Match at Host Country Club, 1 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 4, L-L Match at Overlook Golf Course, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 10, L-L Match at Fairview Golf Course, 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 16, L-L Match at Conestoga Country Club, 1 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 24, L-L Match at Overlook Golf Course, 12:30 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 29, L-L Tournament at Host Country Club, 9 a.m.
Notable Dates:
Friday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 11, District Three tournament at Briarwood Golf Club, 9 a.m.
Monday, Oct. 13, Regional Tournament at Golden Oaks Golf Club, 9 a.m.

GIRLS TENNIS

All home matches at EAHS Tennis Courts
Preseason:
Monday, Aug. 18, at Pequea Valley (scrimmage), 4 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 22, at Lampeter-Strasburg (scrimmage), 10 a.m.
Regular Season:
Tuesday, Aug. 26, vs. Donegal, 4 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 28, vs. Columbia, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 2, vs. Penn Manor, 4 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 4, at Hempfield, 4 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 5, vs. Warwick, 4 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 8, at Manheim Township, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 10, vs. Conestoga Valley, 4 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 12, at Cedar Crest, 4 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 15, at Ephrata, 4 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 18, at Garden Spot, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 23, vs. Solanco, 4 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 25, vs. J.P. McCaskey (Senior/Parent Night), 4 p.m.
Notable Dates:
Oct. 2-6, L-L Flight Tournament.
Oct. 10, District Team Tournament.
Oct 11 and 13, District Singles Tournament.
Oct. 14 and 18, District Doubles Tournament.

Cross Country

All home meets run at E-town course, starting behind Thompson Field.
Note: Dates, locations and times are for both boys and girls teams.
Preseason:
Friday, Aug. 22, Tri-Meet Scrimmage at Lower Dauphin, 3 p.m.
Regular Season:
Friday, Aug. 29, at Hershey, 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 2, L-L Meet at Penn Manor, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 6, Cross Country Relay Meet at Manor Middle School, 8:45 a.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 9, L-L Meet at South Hills Park, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 16, home L-L Meet, 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 23, L-L Meet at Donegal High, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 27, Carlisle Cross Country Invitational, 11:15 a.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 30, L-L Meet at Warwick High, 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 7, L-L Meet at Hempfield High, 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 14, L-L Run at Ephrata War Memorial Field, 5 p.m.
Notable Date:
Saturday, Oct. 25, District Three Meet.

There you have it. Check back soon for previews on each of these teams in the coming weeks.

Dingers, birdies and making a fool of myself...

It's been a while since I've checked in at The Den, so I figured I'd see how you all were doing and update you on some things that have been happening in the world of E-town sports and some things to expect here in the coming weeks.

Friday night, I attended the E-town Men's Slo-Pitch league's homerun derby in the community park on Mount Joy Street. I've been playing in the league for four years or so now, but this is the first time an event like this had been organized since I've been here. It was a fantastic idea and a huge success. 45 people came out to hit. Some were legitimate power hitters, others were like me (not exactly Josh Hamilton), but came out anyway for some fun and to help a good cause. Each player paid $10 to get into the derby with all of that money going toward charity.

Dave Koser, the president of the league and the driving force behind the derby, put on a power display. He was hitting balls way, way over the creek past the left field fence and eventually won the whole thing. Kudos to the league on planning a great event that went for a good cause. I get the impression that the league hasn't always had the best reputation around town, but they are doing a lot of good things for the community – and they give has-beens like me a chance to play a little ball. Good times.

Monday was the annual Elizabethtown Rotary golf outing. I'm a member of the club and the golf committee, and always enjoy the event. We give 100 percent of all proceeds to the Jake Gittlen Cancer Research Institute at Hershey Medical Center, which is doing some amazing things in the world of cancer research. With the help of lots of generous sponsors, Nipsey and Earl from 105.7 The X, and a lot of hard work from the committee members, we raised more than $39,000 in sponsorships. After figuring the costs and stuff (which is still in the works), we'll give the Gittlen Institute more than $25,000. It was a great day. Beautiful weather and Blue Ridge Country Club was in fantastic shape.

My foursome was lucky enough to finish third in the afternoon round – no thanks to me, trust me. But we each had a pick of a prize (I got a much-needed Jack Nicklaus driver). The first place team wins the right to play in the Gittlen Golf Tournament, which is the Rolls Royce of local golf tournaments. The winning team in the afternoon, also won the morning round, so they didn't use the chance to play in the Gittlen. The team that lost to that team in the tiebreaker couldn't play in the Gittlen because of scheduling conflicts, so the gift was passed to us as the third place team. Two members of my foursome, Don Cottle and myself, will be playing at Hershey Country Club in the tournament on Thursday. Mike Cottle and Tommy Carl, the other members of my team, won't be able to play.

So I'll be playing in one of the most heralded tournaments in this area on Thursday, Aug. 14. Trust me, I'm going to embarrass myself. I stink at golf. Out loud. But my group carried me to that third place finish, so I figured what the heck. It's a free round at Hershey CC and is for a fantastic cause. And so my terrible play doesn't go unnoticed, I'll be providing a running diary of sorts of my round here at the Bears Den. I'll try and snap some photos while I'm there as well, but won't promise anything.

So check back around Friday the 15th or so for all the details of my pathetic golf play. If anything, it should give you a laugh before you start your weekend.

Until then, stay classy Elizabethtown.