Here’s a look at all 21 L-L League golf teams. This info was compiled by our very own Phil Glatfelter, and appears in Tuesday’s New Era:
SECTION 1
CEDAR CREST
COACH — Rick Dissinger (6th season).
KEY PLAYERS — John Jorfi, sr.; Jared Smith, sr.; Adam Bennett, jr.; Brady Demey, jr.; Adam Young, so.
OUTLOOK — Four of the top five return — district and regional qualifier Brad Wolfson graduated — so the Falcons are looking to improve on last year’s 18-24 mark. How the No. 5 player performs will be the key to just how far the team can climb. Demey and Young are battling it out for the No. 1 spot.
CONESTOGA VALLEY
COACH — Jerry Beekler (22nd season).
KEY PLAYERS — Matt Fenton, sr.; Will Heberlein, jr.; Connor Gilbert, fr.
OUTLOOK —No. 1 player Pat Beck, who advanced to regionals, is gone, along with district qualifier Kayla Beck. Two players are back from last year’s 7-35 team.
HEMPFIELD
COACH — Scott Gerhart (11th season).
KEY PLAYERS — Adam Burkhart, sr., Steve Werst, sr.; Andrew Arnold, so.
OUTLOOK — Zak Drescher, who finished fifth in the state, second in the district and won the L-L Section 1 scoring title last fall, has moved on to Campbell University. But the Black Knights have some quality coming back in Burkhart, a regional qualifier, and Werst and Arnold, who both competed in districts.
MANHEIM TOWNSHIP
COACH — Skip Walters (24th season).
KEY PLAYERS — Connor Lefever, sr., Zach Miller, sr.; Austin Wolf, jr.; Devin O’Grady, so.; Brandon Hartranft, fr.; Alex Palmer, fr.
OUTLOOK — With a roster that is just loaded, expect big things from the Streaks, who were 42-0 in Section 1 last season, won the L-L League and District 3 team titles and finished fourth in the PIAA state team tournament. They have eight players who would fight for the No. 1 spot on most L-L teams — all have USGA handicaps of 7.7 or lower.
PENN MANOR
COACH — Marsha Frerichs (4th season).
KEY PLAYERS — Frank Dano, jr.; Mike Cotich, so.; Forest Lovett, so.; Wes Rowe, so.; Jordan Zook, so.
OUTLOOK — The Comets lost regulars Kevin Roak, who played most of last season at No. 1, and Win Aukamp. This year Frerichs will rely on a large group of underclassmen, including a promising group of sophomores.
SOLANCO
COACH — Greg Minnich (2nd season).
KEY PLAYERS — Jason Long, sr.; Rob Hammer, so.; Stephen Lantz, so.; Cody Paxton, so.; Amber Rohrer, so.
OUTLOOK — The Mules had three district qualifiers on last year’s 0-42 team, and one, Chad Minnich, who played at No. 3 last year, has graduated. No. 1 player Long and Rohrer both return after reaching the district tournament in 2006.
WARWICK
COACH — Rob Fisher (10th season).
KEY PLAYERS — Tyler Harris, sr.; Tony Parkhurst, sr.; Matt Gavin, jr.; Casey Osborne, jr.; Alli Weaver, jr.
OUTLOOK — Fisher welcomes a fairly thin but talented team back after going 29-13 last year and finishing third in Section 1. District qualifier Justin More has graduated, but Harris, who played No. 1 last year, Parkhurst, a district qualifier, and Weaver, who was fourth at districts, and 16th at states last year — and has had an outstanding summer season — top the list of returnees.
SECTION 2
COCALICO
COACH — Chip Kappasser (1st season).
KEY PLAYERS — Alex Good, sr.; Austen Lambert, sr.; Brett Hartman, jr.; Philip Leid, jr.
OUTLOOK —The Eagles were 30-11-1 and finished second in the section last year, and should be in good shape with four players back. Most of this year’s golfers are bunched together average-wise, so Kappasser, the head pro at Foxchase, feels the success of the team will depend on how often Good, at No. 1, and Lambert, at No. 2, can break into the 70s.
ELIZABETHTOWN
COACH — Shane Kargo (13th season).
KEY PLAYERS — Hayden Gerhart, sr.; Ben Grabowski, jr.; Sam Hockley, jr.; Tyler Moyer, jr.
OUTLOOK —Gone are Andy Moyer, Kyle Christe, Ian Walmsley and Nick Henry, so the Bears, who were 14-28 a year ago, are hopeful of posting a .500 season. Gerhart, Grabowski and Hockley will be the top three players.
EPHRATA
COACH — Ed Gambler (12th season).
KEY PLAYERS — Eric Beamesderfer, sr.; Steve Tretter, sr. (injured); Matt Wooley, sr.; Ryan Contres, jr.; Willie Helander, jr.; Logan Maurer, jr.; Dan Slotcavage, jr.
OUTLOOK —The Mountaineers return their entire team after finishing third in the section with a 29-12-1 record.
GARDEN SPOT
COACH — Tim Leister (8th season).
KEY PLAYERS — Zach Sensenig, sr.; Blake Hatch, so.
OUTLOOK —Cory Bechtold and Dustin Everett graduated as the Spartans’ top two golfers. Sensenig and Hatch return and should fill in adequately at those positions, but the Spartans’ success will depend on the players who fill the other three spots.
LAMPETER-STRASBURG
COACH — Mike Chiodo (20th season).
KEY PLAYERS — Josh Burg, jr.; Adam Steller, jr.; Dan McCrudden, so.
OUTLOOK — Burg won the section scoring title last fall, and he’ll be the Pioneers’ No. 1 player again this year. But the defending section champs will have to overcome the loss of team captain Gray West, who played No. 2 and was second in the section in scoring, and two-year starters Ryan Hallman and Rachel Gast.
LEBANON
COACH — Carlos Sanchez and Ben Brewer (3rd season as co-coaches).
KEY PLAYERS — Matt Wagner, sr.; Sam Dreibelbis, jr.; Erik Shellenhammer, jr.
OUTLOOK —Dreibelbis and Shellenhammer each qualified for districts last year, and virtually the entire team returns. A goal of finishing above .500 and in the top three might be attainable.
MANHEIM CENTRAL
COACH — Mark Domoto (5th season).
KEY PLAYERS — Scott Miller, sr.; Will Rohrer, sr.; Cameron Forrey, jr.; Matt Goodling, so.; Brady Goodling, fr.
OUTLOOK — The good news: everyone’s back from last year. The bad news: the Barons were 1-41 a year ago. Rohrer shot a low round of 79 last season while Miller is a first-year player with a low round of 84.
SECTION 3
ANNVILLE-CLEONA
COACH — Jim Batchelor (3rd season).
KEY PLAYERS — Tyler Henning, sr.; Trey Sobeich, sr.; Austin Arnold, jr.; Andrew Clark, jr.
OUTLOOK — Henning is expected to play at No. 1 and Sobeich at No. 2 as the Little Dutchmen try to improve on their three wins in 2006.
ELCO
COACH — John Witter (30th season).
KEY PLAYERS — Justin Arnt, sr.; Ethan Derr, jr.; Luke Mentzer, jr.; Ryan Gettle, so.; Austin Schaeffer, so.
OUTLOOK — The Raiders lost last year’s No. 1 player, Jon Day, but return plenty from last year’s 24-12 squad. Arnt is slated as the No. 1 player,with Gettle at No. 2.
LANCASTER CATHOLIC
COACH — Howard Kramer (3rd season).
KEY PLAYERS — Keegan Tymon, sr.; Chris Markel, jr. Bobby Stengel, fr.
OUTLOOK —Most of the players from last year’s team that went 31-5 and finished second in Section 4 are gone, including Robby Gilbert, Rich Stengel, Matt Lucht, Eric Spence and John Henry. Kramer hopes to rebuild around Tymon and Markel, who both saw time in the top five last season, with a number of ninth-graders expected to see action.
LANCASTER MENNONITE
COACH — Deryl Denlinger (9th season).
KEY PLAYERS — Trent Miller, sr.; Matt Burkhart, jr.; David Denlinger, jr.
OUTLOOK — Burkhart returns as the defending L-L champion — he was also sixth at districts and 16th at states — while David Denlinger, the Blazers’ No. 2 player, is back after finishing ninth at districts and 19th at states. That gives the Section 3 champs a good chance at repeating after going 35-1 last year.
LEBANON CATHOLIC
COACH — Mike Miller (4th season).
KEY PLAYERS — Anthony Carpenter, sr.; A.J. Groy, jr.
OUTLOOK —The Beavers lost their top three players — Matt Snyder Dan Wesoloskie and Brandon Yiengst — so Miller will be calling on some freshmen to fill in behind Carpenter and Groy, who were No. 4 and 5 last year. He’ll simply be looking for his team to improve as the season goes on.
NORTHERN LEBANON
COACH — Andy Bender (3rd season).
KEY PLAYERS — Stefan Caporaletti, sr., Josh McKinney, sr.; Josh Simniskis, sr.; Clayton Tressler, jr.; Ben Caporaletti, so.
OUTLOOK —All but one of last year’s starters are back as the Vikings look to improve on a 9-27 mark. Bender can also call on two newcomers who he feels will help out. A plus-.500 season would be considered a successful one.
PEQUEA VALLEY
COACH —Clair Beiler (3rd season).
KEY PLAYERS — Darren Krout, sr.; Austin Lantz, jr.; Matt Schatzmann, jr.
OUTLOOK — The Braves will look to improve on their 10-26 mark and fifth-place finish in the section, led by Krout, who had the 10th-best scoring average last year. The five players who saw most of the action last year return.
