EAHS Field Hockey All-Stars

Six players from the Elizabethtown Area High School field hockey team were named Lancaster-Lebanon League Section One all-stars. Back Abby Curtin and goalie Becca Bigler were both named to the first team. Midfielder Mandi Shearer was named to the second team and midfielder Jamie Ahern was an honorable mention selection. Curtin, Hannah Olnick and Anna Libby were all named academic all-stars.

Curtin was the rock for the Elizabethtown defense this season and Bigler was one of the best goalies in the section, earning four shutouts this year. Shearer contributed a goal and two assists from midfield this season and Ahern added one goal and two assists.

Olnick was a co-captain of the team, but missed the season due to a knee injury. Libby scored three goals and had one assist for the Bears, who went 5-11-1 in a very talented Section One.

Becca Bigler committs to Hofstra

Becca Bigler is taking her game to Hofstra. E-town's senior star shortstop officially declared her intentions to attend Hofstra University today, putting on a gray Hofstra sweatshirt and signing a letter of intent at a ceremony at Elizabethtown Area High School at around 3:30 p.m.

Bigler has been a standout in all three sports she participates in – girls basketball, field hockey and softball – but will be playing softball for the Division I Pride.

I'll have plenty more on Becca as the week continues, including quotes from today's press conference, but I just wanted to drop in quickly and post her decision. I also wanted to say that I have covered Becca arguably more than any other athlete during my time at the Chronicle. She is a three-sport athlete and has been playing most or all of them at the varsity level since her freshman year. So needless to say, I've seen her in action a ton of times. And she deserves the chance to play at such a high level. She is as hard working of an athlete as you will find and is an incredibly great teammate, which goes a long way in making players around her better. And that's what the truly great athletes do. Congratulations to Becca, and be sure to check back later this week for more. We had some technical issues earlier in the week, but they have been ironed out, so expect some news on youth lacrosse, E-town football, E-town College, and, of course, E-town's newest Division I athlete, Becca Bigler.

Inside the Numbers ... actually, no, they're just numbers

I've compiled some stats out there on the EAHS football, boys soccer and field hockey teams so far this season for my fellow stat nerds, so here's what I got:

FOOTBALL:
Passing:
Kyle McNeil: 33-62 (51%), 646 yards, 10 TDs, 7 INTs.
Rushing:
Conrad Heisey, 79 carries, 567 yards, 6 TDs, 7.1 yards per carry.
Shane Rosenberry, 76 carries, 448 yards, 6 TDs, 5.8 ypc.
Mitch Weidman, 49 carries, 348 yards, 4 TDs, 7.1 ypc.
Receiving:
Jeremi Jones, 8 catches, 201 yards, 5 TDs.
Mitch Weidman, 8 catches, 116 yards, TD.
Steven Nunez, 5 catches, 143 yards, TD.
Shane Rosenberry, 3 catches, 48 yards.
Conrad Heisey, 3 catches, 21 yards.
Josh McMasters, 3 catches, 75 yards, TD.
Brock Rutherford, 2 catches, 37 yards, TD.
Brendan Kain, 1 catch, 5 yards, TD.

DEFENSE:
Tackles:
Shane Rosenberry, 54.
Alex Kirchner, 39.
David Kennedy, 38.
Jared Danneker, 24.
Shaun Buller, 23.
Sacks:
Alex Kirchner, 8.
Shane Rosenberry, 2.
Shaun Buller, 2.
David Kennedy, 1.
Jared Danneker, 1.
Interceptions:
Steven Nunez, 2.
Mitch Weidman, 2.
Mich Light, 1.
David Kennedy, 1.
Fumble recoveries:
Shane Rosenberry, 2.
Brendan Kain, 2.
David Kennedy, 1.
Larrian Payne, 1.
Mitch Weidman, 1.
Jared Danneker, 1.
Fumbles Forced:
Shane Rosenberry, 2.
Alex Kirchner, 1.
Larrian Payne, 1.
Dylan Allison, 1.
Shaun Buller, 1.


FIELD HOCKEY
Goals:
Carley Rosenberger, 6.
Jenna Rosenberry, 3.
Anna Libby, 3.
Abby Fuhrman, 2.
Erin Miller, 2.
Jamie Ahern, 1.
Jordan Scully, 1.
Paige Strayer, 1.
Jamie Dullinger, 1.
Mandi Shearer, 1.
Caryn Bailey, 1.
Becca Bigler, 1.
Assists:
Abby Fuhrman, 3.
Mandi Shearer, 2.
Jamie Ahern, 2.
Anna Libby, 1.
Leah Hayward, 1.
Caryn Bailey, 1.
Kayla Koser, 1.
Jenna Rosenberry, 1.
Kylie McKain, 1.
Heather Catalfano, 1.


BOYS SOCCER:
Goals:
Kevin Romanauskas, 5.
Brian Savage, 5.
Sean Strangeway, 4.
Joey Funck, 4.
Austin Florey, 2.
Ryan Sostack, 2.
Josh Reem, 2.
Drew Reinhold, 2.
Shane Long, 1.
Nathan Clarke, 1.
Assists:
Ryan Sostack, 2.
Josh Reem, 2.
Sean Strangeway, 1.
Brian Savage, 1.
Jason Good, 1.
Austin Florey, 1.
Joey Funck, 1.
Shane Long, 1.
Nathan Clarke, 1.

Field hockey gets first section win

After dropping their first two games by a combined total score of 3-0, the Bears unloaded in their first section game, walloping Cedar Crest 5-0 last Thursday.

Here are the Section One standings as of today:
E-town.............1-0 (3 pts)
Hempfield..........1-0 (3 pts)
Penn Manor.........1-0 (3 pts)
Warwick............1-0 (3 pts)
Cedar Crest........0-1
CV.................0-1
Manheim Township...0-1
McCaskey...........0-1

Today at 4, the Bears will host Warwick at Jane Hoover Field in a huge early-season test for them. E-town is just 1-3 overall, but have been right there in all three of their losses (losing 2-0, 1-0, and 2-1). they could easily be 3-1 right now. But they aren't, and now comes the teeth of the schedule. 13 straight games against Section One opponents. It certainly doesn't get any easier. I'll be at the game, so check the blog or the print edition (or both) for coverage.

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 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.

EAHS field hockey all-stars

The EAHS field hockey team had four players named Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Two all-stars following the fall season.

They are, from left, Abby Curtin (second team, back), Anna Libby (honorable mention, midfield) and Hannah Olnick (first team, midfield). Becca Bigler is not pictured, but was named to the second team as a goalkeeper.

E-town College Field Hockey postponed

Saturday's Commonwealth Conference field hockey match between visiting Elizabethtown College and second-ranked Lebanon Valley College has been postponed until Sunday at 1 p.m. in Annville, due to wet field conditions created by Friday's rainfall.

Field Hockey misses out on playoffs

Last week when I wrote about E-town, the Bears still had an excellent shot at the league playoffs. Some things needed to go right for them to make it, but it was more than a possibility. Unfortunately, E-town closed out the year by losing three straight and five of their last seven games, and finished 7-10-1 overall and 5-6-1 in the section, seven points behind Manheim Central for third place.

But by no means should this be considered a disappointing season for E-town. They did return eight starters from last year, but are still a very young team and will be an absolute force to be reckoned with next year. Two years ago, graduation crippled the Bears and coach Andy Derr and company began rebuilding last year with a talented group of underclassmen. Next year, they will be seasoned veterans and will be right up there at the top of the section come next October.

The reason for E-town's poor record down the stretch is pretty easy to find – scoring. The Bears managed only 18 goals this year – five of those coming in a 5-0 thrashing of Lebanon in mid-September. E-town's 14 goals in section play were the second fewest in the section (Lebanon had 0), but the Bears allowed just 11 section goals, better than everyone except Ephrata and Central. E-town's defense is pretty good, but the Bears need to score more goals next year to be successful.

Playoffs?!?!? Playoffs?!?

Of course, that title is recreation of sorts from Jim Mora's memorable press conference as the Colts head coach. Ah, I always enjoy that.

Anyway, I wanted to give you all a quick update on how the L-L League Field Hockey playoffs are shaping up. In Section Two, which E-town is in, there are three playoff berths up for grabs. Here are the standings as of today.

Ephrata...9-1-0
L-S.........6-4-0
Central...5-2-1
E-town....5-3-1

For all intents and purposes, I'm leaving out Lebanon, Garden Spot and Cocalico, since they have no shot at the postseason. So there are four teams battling for three spots. Actually, Ephrata has already clinched a playoff berth, so there are three teams battling for two spots.

Last night, Ephrata beat L-S (which helped E-town), while the Bears and the Barons battled to 0-0 tie (which didn't help E-town, but it certainly didn't hurt the Bears either). Right now, either of those three teams could still finish in second place, although E-town has played one less section game than L-S and Ephrata and Central has played two less section games.

The Bears have three games left:
Friday at L-S (huuuge game for E-town)
Monday at Cocalico
Wednesday, home against Garden Spot at 4 p.m.

Manheim Central's remaining games look like this:
Friday, vs. Cocalico
Monday, @ Lebanon
Tuesday, @ Lebanon
Wednesday, vs. L-S

L-S has this left:
Friday, vs. E-town
Monday, vs. Annville-Cleona (who is 0-10 right now)
Wednesday, vs. Manheim Central.

Cocalico and Garden Spot are defintely two teams that E-town can (and should) beat. They are 2-0 against them so far. The Bears also beat L-S 1-0 back on Sept. 19. So the Bears pretty much control their own destiny. If they win out, they should be in, because they will finish at 8-3-1.

IF they lose to L-S and finish at 7-4-1, it gets a little tricky. E-town would need to hope for Cocalico, Lebanon or Annville-Cleona to pull an upset in the final week. If the Bears can't beat L-S, than the Pioneers and the Barons would likely be in with E-town just missing out. But E-town definitely needs to finish at least 2-1 to have a shot.

The playoff picture is definitely a little murky right now, but it will get a little clearer after E-town and L-S do battle tomorrow.

Field Hockey update

The E-town girls field hockey team beat Lebanon 2-0 yesterday. Meanwhile, Manheim Central handed Ephrata its first loss of the season in overtime, making the Section Two race just a little tighter. Here are the standings as of today:

Section Two
Ephrata.............................8-1-0 (24 points)
Lampeter-Strasburg..........6-3-0 (18)
Manheim Central...............5-2-1 (16)
Elizabethtown................... 5-3-0 (15)
Garden Spot......................3-6-0 (9)
Cocalico............................2-5-1 (7)
Lebanon............................0-9-0 (0)

We could be for an interesting two weeks or so to close out the regular season. Stay tuned.

The weekend that was...

On Mondays, I'll take a quick look back at weekend EAHS action, and update you on how the Bears fared in different sports. Here's the first edition of "The weekend that was":

Another week, another win for the Bears football team. This one was ugly by halftime. E-town's defense looked great against the Buckskins, who were without their best running back – Kevin Kelley, suspended for disciplinary actions by the CV coach. But the Bears knocked CV's starting quarterback out early in the first quarter, and the Bucks' offense had no chance against Sean McMullen and that ferocious E-town defense. CV turned the ball over a lot and made a ton of mistakes, setting up the E-town offense in good field position all night long. Credit to the Bears too, they capitalized on good field position every single time. Kyle McNeil looked very good at quarterback in limited action. Starter Preston Faith continued his strong play too, and still has yet to throw an interception this season.

Down in Quarryville, Solanco handed Manheim its first section loss of the season, setting up a big battle this Friday night when the Mules come to E-town with both teams 2-0 in the section. Before Friday, the talk around town was that the Central game on Oct. 26 was the game of the year for the Bears, but I'd argue that this Friday's game is more important for E-town. Not that they have anything to prove, but a win over the Mules will go a long way in keeping the Bears as the team to beat in the Section, and do a lot for their District Three power ranking.

In field hockey, E-town lost a close game to undefeated Ephrata, 1-0 on Friday. You have to give credit to E-town for keeping the section's best offense to just one goal and to goalie Becca Bigler, who made 13 saves against the Mounts. A win against Ephrata would have pulled the Bears into third place in front of Manheim Central, but instead E-town is sitting at 4-3, 1 point behind the Barons for third and three behind L-S for second. I don't see anyone catching Ephrata in the section, but E-town could still make some waves. They play Central at home on Wednesday, and then go to L-S on Friday. Two wins there, and the Bears could find themselves in the league playoffs and in second place in Section Two. They've got to find a way to score more goals though.

In soccer, the E-town boys were pretty much handled by Manheim Township on Thursday, but are still tied for second place with CV at 6-3-1. Ephrata leads the section at 6-1-3, but can still be caught by the Bears or the Buckskins. CV should get a win tonight against Cedar Crest, while E-town has a much more difficult task ahead of them – the 7-1-2 Black Knights of Hempfield. This is a big week for E-town and will pretty much make or break them. After Hempfield tonight, they play at Ephrata on Wednesday (a game they can certainly win), and will host CV on Friday at 4. A 2-1 week puts the Bears in good playoff position, if they go 1-2, they'll need a strong finish and some help to have a hope at the section crown. Peter Davis and this offense can score with anyone, though, so the Bears are never out of a game.

Also, congratulations to the E-town Girls Cross Country team, who finished fifth overall and second out of AAA teams at this weekend's Carlisle Invitational. The turnaround of the girls team has been amazing. Just a couple of years ago, they didn't even have enough runners to compete as a team. Now, they are looking for a winning season. Great job by coach John Spittal and the seniors on the team making the Bears resectable again.

EAHS field hockey

In case anyone was curious, the E-town - Ephrata varsity field hockey game slated for today at 4 was postponed due to lightning. It is tentatively scheduled for 4:15 tomorrow afternoon (Friday) at Jane Hoover Field at EAHS. If I hear anything different, I'll post it tomorrow.

This is a big game for this young E-town team. Ephrata is unbeaten in section play so far, and if the Bears can pull the upset, they will be just one game out of first place in Section Two.

I'll check in tomorrow with a look at the E-town - CV football game.