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Wagner Grabs PIAA Fourth Place Medal

BY MONA STEINHAUER

Logan Wagner saved his best for last. The Solanco senior put together a 145 two-day total at the PIAA golf championships at Penn State Oct. 17-18 and grabbed a fourth-place state medal in the process.

“We believe he’s probably Solanco’s highest state finisher,” said head coach Greg Minnich. “He is a two-time state qualifier and qualified for districts every year which is a first for Solanco in at least 17 years.”

Wagner carded a one-over 70 on Monday and was tied for second place with Central Catholic’s Rocco Salvitti. “He putted lights out that round,” said L-S head coach Mike Chiodo, who followed Wagner’s group that opening day.

“Logan finished with a 75 on Tuesday but I thought he played awesome,” praised Minnich. “It was cold and windy and with all the pressure that goes with it, he did well. He hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation but had four threeputts. Sometimes that happens. He birdied the last hole to finish alone in fourth place. I’m very proud of him and his accomplishments.”

Wagner also earned his fourth section scoring title which is believed to be a first in L-L League history.

CROSS COUNTRY

The cross country teams traveled to Ephrata Middle School Tuesday, Oct. 18 to compete in the L-L League Championships where they brought home a pair of medals.

Athony Solis-Morales and Emma Baxter both earned top 25 medals for their efforts. Solis-Morales was 15th overall and led the Mules to an 11th place team finish while Baxter, also a senior, finished in 14th place. The girls were 10th overall.

“The top 7 AAA teams advance to districts,” said head coach Andrew Musselman. “We were 9th. The guys did everything they needed to do to get close. They were well prepared to run.

“The girls were also close, finishing as the 8th AAA team. The top six move on,” he added. “They were expected to be closer to 14th or 15th but stepped up. Each and every one of them laid it out there.”

Solis-Morales, with a 17:13, posted the sixth fastest Solanco time since 2008. Also placing for the Mules was Wyatt Tomison (46th), James Hartigan (59th), Isaac Esh (67th), Ian Althoff (139), Thomas Houghton (143), Curtis Hills (144) and Rusty Armstrong (165).

“Anthony finished 41st last year,” noted Musselman. “He stayed in the front pack the whole race. And Emma is just fearless. She ran a gutsy race.”

Place winners for the girls included Daria Neaves (36), Christine Wagner (59th), Olivia Singleton (69th), Anna Linde (105), Lexi Groff (111) and Gracie Hartigan (126).

FOOTBALL

And the beat goes on. Solanco’s football team ran its winning streak to eight straight with a 49-21 Section Three win at Daniel Boone Friday, Oct. 14.

Josiah Forren rushed for 139 yards on 19 carries, scored once and threw for another TD. Cole Harris was right behind with 134 yards on 20 carries and also scored to lead a 382-yard rushing charge.

“Noah Baber also had a great game,” said head coach Tony Cox. “He caught a touchdown pass, had two interceptions and finished with seven PAT’s, that’s something we’ve been struggling with.

“We knew their defense would be good,” he added. “They’ve been in some close games. It’s hard to travel an hour and a half. We had the energy, but we faced some adversity again, losing five of six fumbles. We were just not as focused as we needed to be. But the kids did what they needed to do. They responded and made up for it in other areas.”

Like blocking a punt (Landon Steele) and making a halfback pass (Forren) and returning an interception for a score (Carter Smith).

Steele not only blocked the punt but grabbed the ball and scored, giving Solanco its first TD of the night.

The visitors scored again on a Harris two-yard run and another PAT by Baber for a 14-0 lead.

DB, celebrating their homecoming, cut the lead to 14-7 but couldn’t keep the momentum on their side. Solanco countered early in the second quarter when Forren (7 tackles) took a pitch from Brody Mellinger (80 rushing yards) and found Baber with a 14yard TD toss.

Not to be out done, DB responded with a big 75-yard TD run. Again, Solanco answered. Forren scooted 35yards to the house and Smith’s 54-yard interception return pushed the lead to 35-14at the half.

A pair of Mellinger touchdowns sandwiched Boone’s final tally of the night.

“Donovan Peters stepped in for Elijah Cunningham and made some big plays when he needed to. It was a good night to get the majority of the roster action on the field,” Cox said. “And this week we’ll have Logan Pitman back, which helps. We still have things to work on.”

VOLLEYBALL

The volleyball team traveled to Manheim Central Thursday, Oct. 13. The Barons swept the series with a second 3-1 win over Solanco. After dropping the first set 25-5, Solanco stormed back for a 25-20 win but couldn’t keep the momentum going, bowing out 25-8, 25-15.

“We made a lineup switch in that second set and it sparked us,” said head coach Dillon Costrello. “Martha Weaver (4 aces, 1 block) switched to the middle position and did a great job. Emily Powl (7 kills) was effective offensively and defensively,” he continued. “And Marissa Cannizzaro (21 digs) played a heck of a match. She was all over the place. Once again, though, we struggle with our serve receive. That was our downfall.”

Oct. 17, on a night they celebrated their seniors, Solanco hosted Lampeter-Strasburg in a spirited season finale. The Pioneers won 25-12, 25-11, 25-23.

Struggling to receive serve led to the opening two losses but a lineup change in the third set proved to be almost a success. Solanco held a lead all the way to a 14-14 tie and up 18-16 they held the advantage until an unforced error tied the game at 22-22. A serving error pushed Lampeter’s lead to 24-23 before a serve receive error left the hosts with a 2-12 overall record.

“When our serve receive is consistent, and we match other teams serving, and our offense is smart, we play really well,” said Costrello.

“I thought we played well defensively the whole match,” he added. “The offense stepped up in the third set.”

Solanco recognized senior team captains Marissa Cannizzaro, Sophia Stoltzfus and Alaina Herr along with seniors Chasity Rineer, Sophia Reedy and Martha Weaver prior to the game.

“Marissa is a selfless leader that led through her actions,” said Costrello. “Sophia (Stoltzfus) was also selfless and positive. They were always pushing and cheering their teammates. Alaina was a light on our team,” he continued. “She always wants what was best for the team. Chasity and Sophia (Reedy) always pushed themselves and Martha led through her actions. She has a funny personality that helped her teammates relax.

“This group is a tough loss for the program. They were good role models and good people.”

FIELD HOCKEY

Solanco’s field hockey team capped its season on a positive note, blanking Lebanon Oct. 18 on the strength of Sadie Cook’s third period goal. Becca Troutman was credited with the assist. Mya Gonzalez recorded 10 saves.

“The team played very well, showing excellent defensive marking and block tackling,” said head coach Whitney Hawkins. “At the half we talked about what we needed to execute offensively. We had many close opportunities before Sadie finally put one in. She was our top goal scorer (11 goals, 1 assist) and finished tied for eighth in Section Three goal scoring. Katie Underwood followed with 4 goals and 4 assists.”

Solanco finished its 4-13-1 season with many achievements. They scored 24 goals, five more than last year, and dished out three more assists. “We also gave up 15 fewer goals,” noted Hawkins, going from 76 last year to 61 this year.

photo by Mona Steinhauer

Solanco’s Anthony SolisMorales finished in 15th place at the Lancaster-Lebanon League Championships Tuesday, Oct. 18 at Ephrata Middle School.