Former Donegal standout Chris Heisey, who was recently promoted to Triple-A in the Cincinnati Reds farm system, will play in the Major League Baseball Futures Game, which will be played prior to the All-Star Game in Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Here is the press release from Heisey’s college alma mater – Messiah.
Heisey Selected For MLB Futures Game, Promoted To Triple-A
Louisville, KY — The professional baseball career of Chris Heisey continues to shine, as the former Messiah standout was promoted to Triple-A and selected to play in the 2009 Major League Baseball Futures Game, taking place during All-Star weekend at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Heisey, an outfielder who was hitting .347 with a team-leading 94 hits and 13 home runs for the Double-A Carolina Mud Cats, was promoted to the Triple-A Louisville Bats Friday evening, playing in his first games with the Bats over the weekend.
Just days before being promoted to the Triple-A level, Heisey was named one of two Cincinnati Reds’ selections for the MLB Futures Game, a contest highlighting plausible future stars of the game.
“It’s tough to have a better week than what Chris had,” said Bryan Engle, Messiah head baseball coach (and Donegal grad). “Both (being promoted and being named to the Futures Game) are huge. Chris has continued to climb the ladder within the Reds organization, and he’s now a step away (from the major leagues). Talent-wise, he’s right there. You’re the next-door neighbor to the big-league team. And I don’t mean that geographically.”
Prior to being sent to Louisville, Heisey led the Double-A Southern League batting race with his .347 average, also leading the league in hits, slugging percentage (.572) and runs scored (54). His 13 home runs were fourth-best in the league, while he was second in on-base percentage (.426) and extra base hits (33).
Perhaps the biggest testament to the organization’s belief in Heisey came with the Futures Game selection, as each Major League organization must be represented by at least one player — but no club is allowed to send more than two.
Heisey was selected as one of two players to be representing the Reds entire franchise — an organization comprised by six teams at varying levels of minor-league play.
“It’s unbelievable to be recognized as a top prospect in your entire organization,” Engle said. “I think that speaks not only about how you play the game, but about how you approach the game, your work ethic, your attitude and your coachability.”
Messiah assistant athletics director Cory Furman published a column featuring Heisey during last fall’s Homecoming Weekend, detailing the life of a minor league journeyman. Much has changed for Heisey in the ninth months since then.
“Knowing Chris, it’s never about him,” Engle said. “He simply works his tail off and puts himself in a position to succeed. His highs aren’t too high and his lows aren’t too low. His success speaks well of him as a person. The Reds organization has taken notice.”
Fans can now follow Heisey at the official home of the Louisville Bats. Additional information on the 2009 MLB Futures Game can be found at the official site of the 2009 MLB All-Star Game.
Happy to report that I’m back at home base in Lancaster after driving cross-country the last two-plus weeks. I hope you were able to follow along from my posts and photos the last couple of weeks. Always a fun time driving across the country and back - even alone.
I missed a whole bunch of celebrity deaths, rain and Phillies’ losses while I was gone - from what I’ve gathered.
July and August are usually slow months for Lancaster-Lebanon League news, but if you have any nuggets, feel free to drop me a line. And if I stumble across anything juicy I’ll post it ASAP.
In the meantime, I’m going to try and help with the redesign for lancsports.com, and I’ll probably go ahead and start getting some of the fall sports stuff out. Speaking of which - get ready for an onslaught of coverage once the fall season rolls around. I have all kinds of things up my sleeves. It’ll be here before we all know it.
Stay tuned and enjoy your summer.
P.S. If you’d like to stay in touch with me via Facebook, go to facebook.com, do a search for Jeff Reinhart and send me a friend request. I think we’re in the process of creating an L-L League Facebook page for this fall. Stay tuned for that. … I’m also posting links on Twitter, and if you’d like to follow me there, go to twitter.com and search jreinhart. … The internet rocks, doesn’t it?
Hello from Tennessee … coming to you from Nashville after a stop earlier in Memphis.
Took a spin by Graceland for a stop at Elvis’ home. You can see his house and a historical marker in the photo to the left that I took.
Seems like I’ve been on the road forever … it’ll be two solid weeks comes Monday afternoon.
I left Las Vegas on Wednesday morning, and I’ve been taking my time working my way back east. I’ve had stops in Phoenix, El Paso, Fort Worth, Dallas and Little Rock before landing here in Tennessee.
One day earlier this week (I forget which one; they’re all starting to run together at this point) I was in three time zones in one day. I woke up in the Pacific, drove through the Mountain and went to sleep in the Central. I’m still in the Central now, and will dip back into the East midway through Tennessee.
I could probably truck it and be back Monday. But I’ll probably break up the journey one more day and be back Tuesday.
Digging vacation, but I’m about ready to get back to life (it’s getting a tad old checking into and out of hotels, and dragging my bag and laptop satchel in and out and in and out). And I’m anxious to see how the one-paper-a-day operation is going. Well, I hope.
Thanks for following me coast-to-coast the last couple of weeks.
Vegas, baby. Vegas. I’m so money and I don’t even know it. Or something like that …
Hello from Sin City itself – Las Vegas.
This is my fourth trip to Vegas, and I must say that there is an awful lot of construction going on. Driving up and down Las Vegas Boulevard has been a total nightmare, and it’s tough navigating the area by foot because a lot of sidewalks are also under construction.
I took a quick spin over to the Rio earlier Monday to watch the World Series of Poker, and what should have been a five minute drive took like 25. Ugh.
Crashing out at the Monte Carlo, which is a sweet place right in the middle of everything. MGM is right across the street; Mandalay Bay and Luxor are one way and Bellagio is the other. Pretty cool.
Also got to play some poker – my new hobby. Glad to report that I walked away up $165 my first night at the tables. Not too shabby – but certainly not World Series of Poker worthy … so I’m not getting any crazy ideas.
Will be here until Wednesday, and then either take a quick spin further west to Los Angeles, or just head straight east for my final 1 ½ weeks.
Hot here – 95 on the sign on Las Vegas Boulevard across the street.
I’m now 3 hours behind – greetings from Flagstaff, Arizona, which is in the Pacific Time Zone. The big sign on I-40 off my exit says “Los Angeles” so yeah, I’m getting out there pretty far.
What a great part of the country this is – Arizona and New Mexico are two of my favorite states; plenty of gorgeous scenery and plenty of cool places to stop and stay … like Flagstaff, which is mega cool.
Flagstaff is the last big town before the Southern Rim entrance to the Grand Canyon, so this place is always hopping.
Will reach my final destination on Sunday – Las Vegas. There is a shot I’ll go west from there and maybe hit Los Angeles. Not sure yet. Vegas is as far as I wanted to go, so anything after that is gravy.
Other than forgetting my insulin needles in Amarillo (woops), I’m having a pretty good time. Nothing like jumping in a car and driving across the country – very soothing and relaxing. It’s always fun visiting different places and just seeing the country.
I would recommend this to anyone.
I will probably turn around and head back east by the middle of this coming week – gives me 1 ½ weeks to get back. Not sure about my route yet; leaning toward I-10, which goes back through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Hello, hello from Amarillo, Texas … I understand it’s been raining cats and dogs back home. Not here. It’s been like 85-90 the last couple of days here in the Midwest.
Making some pretty good time – not that I’m in a huge hurry or anything. I’m milking my three weeks, and I’m only four days in.
So far I’ve stayed in Columbus, St. Louis and Tulsa, and here I am in Amarillo, which is in the Texas panhandle, about 300 miles from Albuquerque – which will be my next stop.
I’ve been through Amarillo a few times before, but this is the first time I’ve set up shop for the night.
Amarillo is home to the Cadillac Ranch … which is 10 Cadillac cars buried in a cornfield on the outskirts of town off I-40.
No, I’m not kidding.
Someone thought it might be fun to bury the cars and then spray paint on them. Very, very odd, but very funky and artsy.
I posted two photos here – click on them for the full version and take a look. Crazy stuff.
Hoping to be in Vegas by Sunday … going to go out and explore Amarillo a bit.
Again, I’m posting short video clips of my trip on Facebook. If you really want to see those, go to Facebook.com, search Jeff Reinhart and send me a friend request.
Eight Lancaster-Lebanon League football alums are set to play in the PSFCA All-Star Football Game, set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Mansion Park in Altoona.
After several additions and subtractions by head coach Mark Evans (Elco), here are the L-L League players who will play one last prep football game on Friday, representing the East team …
Howdy from St. Louis, Missouri … Rolled in here around 5 or so on Tuesday afternoon (I’m in the Central Time Zone now, so I’m an hour behind; my body clock is all screwed up) and decided to take in a baseball game at the new Busch Stadium – Cardinals vs. Tigers in an interleague game. Score one for the home team: St. Louis 11, Detroit 2.
Check out my seat there on the left … section 253, row 6, seat 9, just above home plate. It was a Red Bird Club ticket (clever), which got me a seat and access to a restaurant/bar area and private bathrooms. Sweet. And thanks to my trusty AAA card, I got $10 off the face price.
Gorgeous stadium (LOVE the St. Louis Arch in the background; that’s way cool), located right downtown. Had to pay $15 to park in a garage, but it was right across the street from the stadium.
Took a couple of innings and walked around the place – very spacious and very cool. Plenty to do and plenty of good angles to watch the game.
It was hot as all get-out, and I didn’t enjoy that very much. But I got to see Albert Pujols hit a home run, so that was pretty cool. Every fan (young and old) in the stadium wears an Albert Pujols t-shirt, by the way. No Chris Duncan. No Joe Thurston. No Ryan Franklin. Just Albert Pujols t-shirts. That’s it.
Set up shop on the outskirts of St. Louis, and planning a drive-day on Wednesday; hoping to get to Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. Goal is Vegas by like Friday.
I am posting short video clips of my trip on my Facebook page. If you really, really, really want to see those, go to Facebook.com, search Jeff Reinhart and send me a friend request.
Former L-S standout point guard will play basketball for D-II Griffins; former Crimson Tide coach could be coming back - this time to the girls’ bench
A pair of Lancaster-Lebanon League girls’ basketball notes to pass along …
BOYER EARNS SCHOLARSHIP TO CHESTNUT HILL – Triple-A Associated Press Third-Team All-State pick and L-L League All-League performer Lisa Boyer has earned a full scholarship to continue her scholastic and basketball careers at Division II Chestnut Hill College, which is located in the Fairmount Park section of Philadelphia.
The scholarship covers athletic and scholastic endeavors for the former Lampeter-Strasburg standout point guard, who finished her prep career with 1,448 points.
The Griffins compete in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, along with Bloomfield, Caldwell, Concordia, Dominican, Felician, Georgian Court, Goldey-Beacom, Holy Family, Nyack, Philadelphia, Post, University of the Sciences and Wilmington.
Chestnut Hill went 4-14 in the CACC and 6-21 overall this past season under first-year coach Kiesha King.
Boyer, who had a scholarship offer from Bloomsburg University prior to her senior season, averaged 15.5 points a game this past season for L-S, which went 29-4 overall and advanced to the District 3 title game and all the way to the PIAA championship game before falling to Archbishop Carroll.
TIDE READY TO NAME SUTTON – According to a source, Columbia will recommend former Crimson Tide boys’ varsity coach Gary Sutton as the new girls’ varsity coach at Thursday’s monthly school board meeting.
If he gets the board’s approval, Sutton would replace former Tide standout Lisa Tomsheck, who stepped down after three seasons on the bench after Columbia finished up 2-21 this past season.
Sutton, who guided Columbia’s boys’ team to the PIAA Double-A state title in 1987, is an on-air personality for WSBA 910-AM, where he co-hosts the morning show. He’s also remained involved in prep basketball since his gig with Columbia. He has served as an assistant coach in York County, and he’s the color analyst for PCN-TV during state-championship coverage.
Columbia has the final basketball coaching vacancy in the L-L League.
After a couple of panic attacks and a brief delay, I’m happy to report that I’m on vacation.
And not just any vacation - I’m using three (3) weeks at once. Wowzer.
I’m coming to you live from Columbus, Ohio - my first stop on the way west. Final destination is Las Vegas, where I’m going to watch the World Series of Poker … and probably play, too - but not in the WSOP - unless someone wants to spot me the $10,000 buy-in?
Yes, I’m driving. I’ve driven coast-to-coast three times before, so this really isn’t a big deal, although this is the first time I’ve done it myself.
I will return Monday, July 6.
In the meantime, I’ll post some goodies from the road - so please keep checking back.
And I’ll definitely be sprinkling in some L-L League news … I’m sitting on two things at the moment, and I hope to have that posted Monday night.
Barons’ star is down to final five college choices; Booth added to East roster
Manheim Central rising senior blue-chip recruit Dakota Royer has whittled his list of college suitors down to five.
The Barons’ blitz-happy defensive end and pass-catching, playmaking tight end, who was a First-Team Associated Press Triple-A All-State pick at DE after registering 13 sacks last fall, will consider these institutions of higher learning (listed alphabetically):
Rivals.com ranks Royer 13th among weakside defensive ends among 2010 recruits.
Between finishing off his junior year and making recruiting trips, Royer squeezed in some time earlier this spring to jump out of a 4-foot pool.
Royer said he will announce his college decision in July.
BOOTH ADDED TO EAST ROSTER – Yet another L-L League football alum has been added to the East roster for the PSFCA All-Star Football Game, set for June 19 at Mansion Park in Altoona.
Penn Manor grad and Temple recruit Cody Booth has been added to the East team, which will be coached by Elco’s Mark Evans.
Booth, a tight end and defensive end for the Comets, is coming off a big effort in the L-L League Tri-County All-Star Game, when he caught four passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns in the South’s 34-10 win over the North.
Last fall, when Penn Manor went 5-2 in Section 1 and 9-3 overall, including a trip to the second round of the District 3 Quad-A playoffs, Booth was a First-Team Section 1 All-Star at d-end, and he was a Second-Team Section 1 All-Star at TE after catching 23 balls for 300 yards and a TD.
DONEGAL GIRLS’ CHAMPIONSHIP SOCCER TEAM TO CELEBRATE WITH PARADE
The girls’ state championship soccer parade will be held on Tuesday, June 16 beginning at 6 p.m. The parade will begin at the Tic-Tac Diner and will travel through Mount Joy on Route 230, turning around at Darrenkamp’s Market, traveling back through Mount Joy and turning left on Marietta Avenue, stopping at the Mount Joy Memorial Park for a proclamation by borough officials. The parade will then continue along Route 772 past Donegal High School, turning left at Ore Mine Rd. and crossing over Route 441 into Marietta. They will turn right on Market Street and travel through Marietta, stopping at the borough office for a proclamation by Marietta borough officials. The parade will continue through town making a right onto Decatur Street and cross back over Route 441 at Herr’s Fruit Market traveling toward Maytown, making a loop around the square and traveling out on High Street and ending at Fuhrman Park where a proclamation will be read by East Donegal Township officials.
Approximate timeline is as follows:
5:30 p.m. – Meet for parade line-up.
6 p.m. – Parade begins at Tic-Tac Diner.
6:30 p.m. – Proclamation at Mount Joy Memorial Park.
7 p.m. – Proclamation by Marietta Borough officials.
7:30 p.m. – Parade ends and proclamation by East Donegal Township officials.
SPARTANS’ YUNGINGER PICKS E-TOWN COLLEGE – Recent Garden Spot grad Nadine Yunginger will continue her scholastic and athletic careers at Elizabethtown College, where the Spartans’ two-sport standout hopes to participate in two sports for the Blue Jays.
Yunginger, a forward in field hockey and a gritty point guard in basketball, hopes to play hockey and hoops for E-town. The Jays’ field hockey coach recently stepped down, so Yunginger is still mulling her career on the field hockey field for the Jays. But she will definitely play basketball for veteran coach Yvonne Kauffman.
Last fall, Yunginger was an Honorable Mention Section 2 All-Star in field hockey, and last winter, she averaged a team-best 9.3 points a game and hit a team-best 31 3-pointers for the Spartans.
Yunginger also earned six awards at Garden Spot’s graduation ceremonies – U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award; American Legion Conestoga Post 662 Annual Scholarship; New Holland Elementary School PTO Scholarship; District 3 E. Jerry Brook Academic Excellence Award; Outstanding Athlete Award; and President’s Volunteer Service Award.
E-town’s field hockey team went 17-4 overall last fall, and the Jays’ women’s basketball team went 11-14 overall this past season.
BULLER TO BARONS – Manheim Central’s football team just got a whole lot better along the offensive and defensive lines … not that anyone in Section 2 of the L-L League – or District 3 Triple-A – wanted to hear that.
Shaun Buller, a menacing 6-0, 280-pound offensive and defensive tackle, and his family have moved into Central’s school district, and Buller will be eligible to play for the Barons this fall.
With Buller helping to blow open holes, E-town’s offense finished sixth in the L-L League last season, churning out 351.8 yards per game while piling up 2,438 rushing yards in 11 games.
E-town and Central have rekindled their football rivalry the last couple of years. Two seasons ago the Bears blasted the Barons in E-town on the way to sharing the Section 2 title with Solanco. Last fall, Central repaid the favor on the way to reclaiming the Section 2 crown and a trip to the District 3 Triple-A finale.
Buller played in those games for the Bears; now he’ll switch sides and get dirty in the trenches playing for the Barons.
That could be a mighty interesting week for him, when Central visits E-town on Oct. 23.
Indians’ senior striker puts a bow on winning PIAA championship
HERSHEY – Brittany Knouse gained the reputation as a clutch goal-scorer.
And she couldn’t have picked a better stage to show off her skills one last time.
Playing in the state championship game against league rival Lancaster Mennonite before a packed crowd in Hersheypark Stadium last Friday night, Knouse saved her best for last, scoring a pair of goals to lead the Indians to a 3-0 win over the Blazers to earn the PIAA Double-A girls’ soccer state championship.
Getting free thanks to her patented runs, Knouse had a pair of sweet goals against Mennonite.
The first came on a rebound, when teammate Jamie Hunter unleashed a shot in front of the cage, but a Mennonite defender made a nice body save. Knouse pounced on the loose ball and buried a shot, giving Donegal a 1-0 lead – a lead it would not relinquish.
Later, Knouse somehow squeezed a shot in at the near post, when she sent a bender toward the net from the right flank. Mennonite goalie Kristen Gochnauer was parked right at the near post, but Knouse’s shot went right between Gochnauer and the post, and found the back of the net.
It was one of the craziest goals I’ve seen – but Knouse couldn’t have placed it any better.
Knouse, who is heading to the University of Virginia to play field hockey, fought off some nagging injuries to have an incredible season for Donegal. The Indians will surely miss her goal-scoring prowess next spring.
A few reporters caught up with Ms. Knouse after Donegal won the state title. We chatted about the win, about her goals, and what winning the state championship means to her and the program.
You can listen to the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.
You can also download the Podcast and play it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.
Indians’ sophomore forward rejoices after winning state title
HERSHEY – Jamie Hunter was at the right place at the right time.
Donegal’s sophomore forward parked herself in the box in front of the goal and was salivating for a pass, which came.
Hunter blasted a shot on goal from close range in the first half of the Indians’ state-championship game against league rival Lancaster Mennonite in Hersheypark Stadium last Friday night.
Considering Mennonite’s goalie got lost in traffic, it looked like a sure goal. But one of the Blazers’ defenders was johnny-on-the-spot and used her body to save Hunter’s blast.
No goal for Hunter?
No big deal.
The rebound landed directly on the foot of Donegal ace goal-scorer Brittany Knouse, who buried a shot in the left corner to give the Indians a 1-0 lead – on the way to a 3-0 victory for Donegal’s first PIAA Double-A girls’ state soccer championship.
Hunter earned an assist on the play, which jump-started Donegal’s offense. Knouse went on to score another goal, and Jovita Richardson iced it for the Indians, who earned their fourth shutout victory in States.
Donegal will lose just three seniors from this team, so Hunter a slew of other underclassmen will have the chance to get back here again next spring.
I chatted with Ms. Hunter after the state-title game about beating Mennonite, about the Indians’ superb run, and about what it means for Donegal to win a state title.
You can listen to the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.
You can also download the Podcast and play it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.
Indians’ senior defender chats about Donegal’s D after winning state title
HERSHEY – Donegal didn’t just win the PIAA girls’ soccer state Double-A championship.
The Indians completely dominated the tournament, winning their four games by an aggregate score of 12-0 and keeping all four of their opponents off the scoreboard.
That’s some pretty gnarly defense.
Donegal’s defense rose to the occasion once again in the state championship game, blanketing Lancaster Mennonite’s high-octane offense on the way to a 3-0 win in Hersheypark Stadium last Friday night.
It was Donegal’s first trip to a soccer state-title game, and it was the Indians’ first state title since 2006, when the girls’ softball team won the crown.
Donegal walloped Wilkes-Barre Coughlin 6-0 in the first round, edged New Hope-Solebury in 1-0 in the quarterfinals, and took care of Tulpehocken 2-0 in the semifinals before blanking rival Mennonite 3-0 in the finale.
One of the lynchpins of Donegal’s D is senior Laura Kassab, a tireless worker who spends most of her time in the back, chasing strikers. She, along with the rest of Donegal’s defenders, was superb in States, particularly against Mennonite, which featured senior striker Katelyn Vanderhoff, who led the L-L League in goals and total points during the regular season.
But Kassab and her mates were up to the challenge, keeping Vanderhoff off the stat sheet and Mennonite off the scoreboard.
I caught up with Ms. Kassab just after Donegal’s players hoisted the state-championship trophy. It was a wild scene. We chatted about the Indians’ defense, Donegal’s great run through the tournament, and how it felt to win a state title.
You can listen to the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.
You can also download the Podcast and play it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.
Section 4 All-Star Emily Weaver has made her college choice.
Lancaster Catholic’s senior sharpshooter will play basketball for Alvernia University in Reading.
Weaver averaged a team-best 12.1 points a game and drilled a team-high 34 3-pointers this past season for Catholic, which went 14-11 overall after finishing second in the Section 4 race, and falling in the first round of the L-L League and District 3 Triple-A playoffs.
Weaver was one of the top snipers in the league, hitting 17 3-pointers in Catholic’s final six games – including six treys and a career-high 26 points in the Crusaders’ win over East Pennsboro in a district play-in pigtail game.
She also scored 20 or more points in a game four times – and now she’ll take her shooting skills to Alvernia, which went 18-10 overall last season under coach Kevin Calabria, and finished third out of nine teams in the MAC Freedom Conference and advanced to the second round of the ECAC playoffs.
Weaver will join four other former L-L League standouts at Alvernia, including Second-Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region pick Alex Velazquez (Manheim Township), Lil Snyder (L-S), CeCe Buzzard (Solanco) and Kayla Long (Manheim Central).
Congrats to Pequea Valley football coach Curtis Waltman, who is set to receive the first Kris Wilson Football Coaching Excellence Award.
Wilson, the former McCaskey and Pitt standout who plays professionally for the San Diego Chargers, will present Waltman with the award at the second Kris Wilson Foundation Summer Gala on July 10 at Liberty Place.
According to the Sunday News, the award will be given annually to a Lancaster County prep football coach who best exemplifies the vision of the Kris Wilson Foundation, which is to help improve literacy and education among youth in the county.
Said Pequea Valley athletic director Greg Fantazzi about Waltman: “I believe Curtis deserves such an award for his desire and enthusiasm he provides for all of his students. He cares more about how the students will do in life rather than just the wins or losses they have during the season.”
Waltman, the former Garden Spot three-sport standout and football player for Villanova, is set to begin his third season as Pequea Valley’s football coach this fall.
Former Columbia standout and NCAA national heavyweight runner-up wrestler Aaron Anspach has a new gig with his alma mater – Penn State.
Anspach is on new coach Cael Sanderson’s staff for the Nittany Lions.
Here’s what he’ll be doing, according to his bio on gopsusports.com …
Former Nittany Lion All-American Aaron Anspach is now in his third year with the Penn State staff. After serving last season as Director of Operations, Anspach moved into the third assistant coach spot last year. Now, with increased duties with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and a potential return to international competition, Anspach has moved over to the full-time position with the NLWC.
Anspach, who was the national runner-up at heavyweight in 2007 (but was denied a sixth year by the NCAA), went 22-4 during a senior season that saw him earn his first All-America honor in his first full and injury free season.
The native of Columbia, Pa., graduated from Penn State in the spring of 2007 with a degree in Crime, Law and Justice. Despite a career plagued with injuries that forced him to miss nearly all of two seasons, Anspach left Penn State with a 43-15 career record. His 2007 season went down as one of the most successful heavyweight campaigns in Penn State history, short only of Kerry McCoy’s national title runs in 1994 and 1997 and Bill Oberly’s title in 1955. He went 16-2 in duals in 2007 and of his four total losses, three were to two-time national champion Cole Konrad of Minnesota.
Anspach went 19-4 in dual matches during his career, including a 7-2 mark in Big Ten action (7-1 in 2007). He was 7-0 in matches decided by a major decision and had four pins. In all, Anspach collected 62 dual meet points.
Garden Spot senior Hannah Ertzgard, who helped the Spartans’ girls’ volleyball team reach the state championship match in her junior season, will major in Biomedical Engineering at Penn State.
Ertzgard, a setter who was a First-Team All-L-L League selection and a District 3 All-Star last fall, hopes to continue her volleyball career for Penn State’s club program.
She was named Garden Spot’s valedictorian at the end of the school year.
HERSHEY - After a spirited run to reach the PIAA Triple-A girls’ soccer state title game, Hempfield came up short and settled for silver after a 4-0 loss to District 3 foe Lower Dauphin in Hersheypark Stadium.
It was Hempfield’s fourth appearance in a state-championship girls’ soccer game. The Black Knights won the title in 2000, but are 0-3 since, including Friday’s 4-0 setback to Lower Dauphin, which earned its 15th shutout victory this season.
The four state-championship appearances by Hempfield are the most in the L-L League.
Earlier, Donegal defeated Lancaster Mennonite 3-0 in the state Double-A title game, giving the L-L League one state champ in girls’ soccer this spring.