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Showing posts from December, 2021

Pioneers Down Crusaders in Defensive Tussle

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It wasn’t a very pretty start to the night in West Lampeter, for either squad. It seemed as if every Crusader possession ended with a turnover, and every Pioneer possession ended with a miss on a wide-open shot.  The Pioneers slowly but steadily built a first-half lead, strongly aided by the efforts of Luke Hines off the bench. Hines recorded 7 points and 7 rebounds, all in the first half. As a whole, the Pioneers played outstanding defense, forcing turnover after turnover. Following the game, Hines had to say, “I thought most of it was just the defense, we got after it after yesterday (a 86-71 win over Conestoga Valley).”  I’m not sure what Lancaster Catholic head coach Joe Klazas had to say in the locker room, but it worked. The Crusaders looked as if they were shot out of a cannon, going on an 11-0 run to start the second half. All of a sudden, it was only a 4-point Pioneer lead.  The turning point of the game was the Pioneer's response to that run. After a timeout, the Pioneers

Pioneers Win Nail Biter at Conestoga Valley, Continue Their Win Streak

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Last night's battle between the two Lampeter Township schools was nothing short of electric. The Pioneers were able to pull ahead late in the fourth to claim victory at CV in a high energy game. The boys in blue finished strong, winning 86-71. Ben Wert in Game vs Manheim Central (Logan Thompson) The stands were filled before the JV game even ended. You could feel the tension within the building leading all the way up to tip off. You could tell CV wanted their revenge after being stumped earlier in the fall in the Lampeter Bowl. They were unsuccessful in their revenge tour. Right from the get-go, both squads made the weather forecast change to, “raining 3’s!” Nobody could miss from beyond the ark. Seniors Luka Vranich, Isaiah Parido, and Berkeley Wagner took charge with strong leadership to end the first half with a score of 50-39, with the Pioneers leading. However, the game wasn’t over yet. The Buckskins charged back after keeping the game close throughout the 3rd quarter. The mom

Pioneers Dominate Mules, Move to 4-0

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If you were looking for a competitive basketball game Friday night, Quarryville was not the place to be. Lampeter-Strasburg dominated every facet of the game, winning 70-47 over local rivals Solanco.    Luka Vranich in Game vs Manheim Central (Logan Thompson) However, everybody in attendance was treated to a showcase of how beautiful the game can be when the Pioneers are in the building.  The Golden Mules played Pioneer star Ty Burton very close. But it didn’t matter. Whenever the defense would zero in on Burton, he would kick it out to a wide open teammate, who seemingly always knocked down the shot. By the final buzzer, the Pioneers had knocked down 12 three-pointers off the fingertips of 6 different players.  While Burton is certainly the pilot, Luka Vranich is the engine that makes the plane fly. Friday night, he finished with 6 points, also adding 6 assists and 10 rebounds. Vranich can do a little bit of everything, from running the offense to doing the dirty work down inside. Bur

Girls Basketball: A Bright Beginning

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Although the record of 1-2 doesn’t seem to be as promising as hoped, the Lady Pioneers basketball team began their playoff campaign in an assuring fashion. Head coach Tony Fink stated after game two that “after the first game we still weren’t sure what this team was capable of, but they proved that they can compete with a great team and they are capable of making noise in the playoffs”. Fink made this statement after the Pioneers’ second loss to the Manheim Central Barons who are favored to win the section title.  The assistant coach Brian Schultz also claims that the Lady Pioneers played the best defense that game that he had ever seen in all of his years of coaching. If you asked any player on the team, they would state their frustration from the loss of that game, but they would also tell you that the crusade is most definitely not over.   The Pioneers’ biggest challenge continues to be the offensive side of the ball. Each player on the team has contributed at least a couple of turn

Swimming Loses Dual-Meet to Warwick

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On Thursday afternoon, the swimming team hosted Warwick in an L-L League matchup. Both the girls and boys lost their meets with scores of 113-57 and 94-46 respectively. The next meet for the team is against McCaskey next Thursday, at Franklin & Marshall College. Photos by Logan Thompson, LS News President

Pioneers Steamroll Barons, Win Section Opener

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On Thursday night, the Boys Basketball team hosted the Manheim Central Barons in the Section 3 opener. The game was crucial for the Pioneers, as the Barons are likely their biggest threat in the section title race.  The Pioneers started the game on fire, going up 9-2. However, the Barons came rumbling back and decreased the Pioneer lead to 12-10 by the end of the first quarter.  Towards the end of the 1st half, the shots started to fall and the Pioneers never looked back. In a game that looked much closer for the first 10 minutes, the Pioneers steamrolled to a 70-47. “I think it (the run) was more everything coming together”, said Coach Berryman. Ty Burton paced the Pioneers on the offensive end, scoring 25 points. Most of those points came during the second half. Luka Vranich had a very strong all-around effort, tallying 11 points and adding 7 rebounds and 5 assists as well.  The strong Pioneer defense, led by Luka Vranich, held Baron star Trey Grube to just 12 points (10 of which wer

Garden Spot FFA Congratulates 2021 American Degree Recipients

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The National FFA Organization awards the American Degree as the highest degree an FFA member can receive. Only 0.5% of National FFA members earn this honor.  Recipients of the American degree have to achieve certain requirements such as: completed 540 hours of high school agriculture classes, have a maintained detailed Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) record, have earned and productively invested at least $7,500 or have earned and productively invested at least $1,500 and worked 2,250 hours beyond scheduled school hours through their SAE.  Garden Spot FFA Alumni Jessica Herr and Danae Ranck, both 2020 graduates of Lampeter-Strasburg High School received their American Degree on October 30th, 2021 at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. They were recognized with a certificate and the American Degree Key, to be adorned on their official FFA Jacket.  Danae’s SAE is raising and exhibiting dairy beef as well as employment at her family farm - Walnut Hollow Farm, in

Pioneers Bring Home Gold at Northeastern Tip-Off Tourney

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On Friday night in the semifinals of the tournament, Lampeter-Strasburg defeated Eastern York 62-38, with Ty Burton scoring 20 points. In the title game, the Pioneers faced off with tournament hosts Northeastern, who defeated Camp Hill to reach the title game.    Via @LSBoysBball on Twitter The Pioneers started the title game off with a 3-point barrage, jumping out to an 11-3 lead which turned into an 18-9 lead by the end of the first quarter. Berkeley Wagner was the star of the first half, scoring 13 points and leading the Pioneers to a 28-19 advantage at the break.  Stud sophomore Ty Burton dominated the 3rd quarter, recording 12 points including three triples as the Pioneers extended their lead to 45-32. L-S would coast to a stress-free 56-38 win, starting off the season 2-0 and bringing home the tip-off trophy.  Defense was the story of the night and the whole weekend for the victors. In both games, the Pioneers held their opponents to just 38 points. Following the game, Pioneer sk

Garden Spot FFA takes on the 94th Annual National Convention

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Six members - Gracie Albright, Katie Ranck, Melanie Cox, Rachael Lee, Owen Risser, and Jackson Price, of the Lampeter-Strasburg's Garden Spot FFA represented the school in Indianapolis, Indiana for the 94th Annual National FFA Convention. Seven people, One van, and years of memories. On Monday, the group started off their trip by adventuring to Ohiopyle State Park. There, the group drove through the woods to what we thought was the waterfall, but turned out to be an overlook. After driving more miles attempting to find waterfalls, we finally reached them! The waterfall led to a rapid that had beautiful scenery. It was a great start to our week-long trip. After the waterfalls, we drove to Butler, PA where Harvest View Farms is located. There, we met the owners, the Metricks, and toured their family-owned, farm market. One of their best features is their homegrown apples which they use to make their own apple cider. We were grateful for the opportunity to see how apple cider is made

Q&A: A Sitdown With Basketball Standout Ty Burton

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Last season as a Freshman, Ty Burton averaged 20.3 points per game on 46% shooting. He earned a 5A all-state nod, leading the Pioneers to the District III quarterfinals. He’s the second-highest returning scorer in the L-L League, behind only Lancaster Mennonite’s Camden Hurst. The PIAA basketball season kicks off on Friday, with the Pioneers playing Eastern York in a tournament.  Ty Burton in scrimmage vs Dallastown (Logan Thompson) Q: Last season was very different from the typical season. What was the biggest challenge you faced amid the chaos of a delayed season, mid-season outbreak, and starting as a freshman? A: With the delayed start, the mid-season outbreak, and being a starting freshman, the biggest challenge was knowing that every day there was a chance that your season could be over or affected. We had no idea that we would have a mid-season outbreak, and that changed everything. And it was a lot of pressure, especially starting as a freshman knowing that you have to leave ev

New Season, New Playoff Race

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Although not necessarily picked as the favorite to win their section, when asked, the L-S Girls basketball team has high hopes for a section title and some success in the playoff race this year. After losing in the first round of districts and taking second place in the section last year, the girls hope to redeem themselves, having four of the five starters returning from last season. The major concern coming into the season is the loss of the one impactful starter, Emma Drouillard. Drouillard averaged the most points of anyone on the team last year and was an L-L League All-Star. This loss will force returning players to step up to be the next big scorer for this defensively dominant team. The girls started the campaign to the playoffs yesterday with their first scrimmage against Eastern York. After a long break from basketball, the girls found themselves struggling to readjust to the speed of Eastern York’s intense play in the first quarter. “It’s our first time out there,” the girls

Looking Back at the Fall Sports Season

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Another high school sports season has passed. As we prepare for the winter season, it’s time to look back on this fall sports season's highlights.   Boys Cross Country Chase Burig near the finish line at Lancaster Mennonite I think I might have said the same thing in last year’s fall sports recap, but it doesn’t make it any less true. There’s only one word to describe the boys cross country program: dominance. They went undefeated for the third straight season and captured their fourth straight Section 2 title, topping it off with a win in the Big Spring Invitational and the program’s first ever District III title. The boys placed 4th at the PIAA meet. Sophomore phenom Colin Whitaker was one of five pioneers to make the Section 2 all-star squad.   Girls Cross Country Jaclyn Martin sprinting to the finish at Lancaster Mennonite The girls finished with a record of 9-2, earning third-place in Section 2. They placed 7th as a team at the District III meet, with Aubrey Magagna finishing

Pioneers Held Scoreless in District III Title Game

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November 15th, 2019. A day that will live in infamy for all Bishop McDevitt fans. Down 20-nothing at halftime, the Pioneers marched all the way back to defeat the Crusaders 30-27. The blue and white would defeat Berks Catholic next Friday to claim their first District III crown in 12 years.  This time around, the Pioneers and Crusaders locked horns for the gold. On a cold and very, very windy night at Rocco Ortenzio Stadium, it was evident that throwing the ball wasn’t going to be much of an option.  The Crusaders didn’t get the memo, making the puzzling decision to roll-out and throw the ball on the goal-line, which was intercepted by linebacker Drexton Frank. While both defenses made stop-after-stop, neither offense could garner more than two or three first downs on a single possession. The game was scoreless going into halftime, leaving a strong suspicion that whichever team scored first would win the whole game.  The Crusaders were that team. Late in the 3rd quarter, Marquese Brown