LS News

  The Mechanicsburg Wildcats are the 16th seed in the District III 5A playoffs. But they’re certainly not your average 16th seed. With wins over strong playoff teams such as Lower Dauphin, Milton Hershey, and Mid-Penn champion Cedar Cliff, the Wildcats are a tough team masquerading as a .500 16th seeded team. “I told the guys this is no Gonzaga playing Albany,” said L-S skipper Ed Berryman. “These guys are good.” While the Wildcats never held the lead beyond the opening minutes of the contest, they were constantly nipping at the heels of the 1st seeded and undefeated Pioneers.  The breaking point was right out of the gates in the second half, when the Pioneers went on a 7-0 run. “We talked about wanting it more and being stronger… We were being a little timid at times,” added Berryman. “The kids responded and came out with that run.” The Pioneers were without starting guard Berkeley Wagner, who is dealing with a mid-grade ankle sprain sustained in last Monday’s win over Lebano...

Call the fire department, because there’s a fire to put out. If you haven’t been paying attention, the Pioneers are undefeated on the year while being undeniably the best shooting team in the league from beyond the arc.    Ty Burton in Game vs Lebanon (Cam Reynolds) The three-ball was on full display Monday night, as Ty Burton and company poured 11 3s on the defending league-champion Cedars, whom they defeated by a score of 73-53. Pioneer star Ty Burton was simply unguardable, knocking down everything from open layups to contested three-pointers from well beyond the arc. “I don’t need to shoot those (contested threes) in a close game. I feel like that dog comes out in me and makes me step up my game. You know, I’m feeling it,” added Burton following the game. Up next for the Pioneers? Round three with Manheim Central, who pulled off an upset over Section 1 champ Manheim Township. The Pioneers won the first two matchups against the Barons by 23 points each. However, nobody in t...

Saturday night’s L-L League quarterfinal vs Penn Manor was never a game the Pioneers were supposed to win. But with only five minutes until the final buzzer, the Pioneers were within one shot of the lead. Kelsey McTaggart in game vs Garden Spot (Cam Reynolds) It wasn’t the first time the local rivals had faced off. In the Pioneers’ first game of the season, the Comets defeated them by a score of 57-39. The scoreline may have been flattering for the Comets, but nevertheless, set the precedent for Saturday night’s contest. The start of the game wasn’t exactly a barn-burner, with a combined 10 points being scored. The Pioneers jumped out to a 5-0 lead, holding the Comets scoreless for the better part of the first quarter.  Fast forward to the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Pioneers are tied with the Section 1 champion Comets.  It was never meant to be. The Pioneers missed several misses to take the lead and change the momentum, while Comet star Lily Sugra hit her stride. Th...

The excitement of playoff basketball is here. After a strong regular season where the Pioneers earned a record of 13-7 and split the Section 3 title with Manheim Central, the league playoffs have begun. The challenger in the first round was Pequea Valley, the Section 5 runner-up. Head Coach Tony Fink addresses his team in matchup vs Manheim Central (Cam Reynolds) The first half of the game was played at a fast pace by both squads. The Pioneers used Maggie Visniski and Katie Ranck’s height to their advantage, while the Braves played strong defense on the perimeter to subdue the Pioneer wings. The Braves led by two at the end of the first, and the Pioneers would lead by 2 at the half. Until the final minute of the 3rd quarter, the Braves were held scoreless out of the locker room. The Pioneers weren’t having much success on the offensive end either but were scoring enough to gain some breathing room going into the final quarter. The Pioneer defense held strong in the fourth quarter, forc...

Welcome back, Ty Burton. After missing five games due to a high-ankle sprain sustained against ELCO, Burton re-introduced himself with 16 points and 5 assists on Tuesday night against Garden Spot.  “I missed it so much. I was just so eager to get back on the court, and when I finally got healthy it just felt amazing,” said Burton following the win.  The Pioneers didn’t need Burton in any of the five games he missed, winning all of them to continue the perfect season. However, they’ll certainly need him as they look to retake the L-L league crown for the first time since 2018.  Several members of the 1955 Section title team were honored prior to the game. The 1955 team is believed to be the first section title-winning team in L-S history- in any sport.  It wasn’t a very pretty start for the Pioneers on Tuesday night, playing sloppy in the first quarter. The second quarter, however, was a much different story. The Pioneers outscored the Spartans 23-4 in the second quar...

Lampeter-Strasburg High School is proud to present  Anything Goes  on March 3, 4, and 5 at 7 pm with a matinee performance on Saturday, March 5 at 2 pm in the high school's Performing Arts Center . Tickets can be purchased  online  or at the door on the night of the performance. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors.  Click here for a digital version of the playbill. Plot Summary Anything Goes  is a classic musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It is set aboard the ocean liner S. S. American, where nightclub singer/evangelist Reno Sweeney is en route from New York to England.  Her pal Billy Crocker has stowed away to be near his love, Hope Harcourt, but the problem is Hope is engaged to the wealthy Lord Evelyn Oakleigh.  Joining this love triangle on board the luxury liner are Public Enemy #13, Moonface Martin, and his sidekick-in-crime Erma.  With the help of some elaborate disguises, tap-dancing sailors an...

Last season as a Sophomore, Ben Wert averaged 5.3 points per game on 45% shooting for the Pioneers. This season, he’s the 8th highest scorer in the L-L league averaging just over 16 points per game.  Ben is affectionately known by teammates as “Squirt” Wert. When asked where the nickname comes from and what it means, Wert wasn’t exactly sure. “It came from Nick (del Grande). I don’t really know what it means”.  “He’s been enormous, and I think it shows when they basically try to face guard him to keep him from getting the ball,” added L-S coach Ed Berryman. Wert scored 25 points on Tuesday night, knocking down four three-pointers and converting five out of six from the stripe.  As expected, the game wasn’t anything to write home about, with the Pioneers up 73-27 at the final horn. Isaiah Parido added 12 to pace the Pioneers, while Berkeley Wagner contributed 9 points and 8 assists to the effort. On the Mountaineer side, Dylan Kohl had an outstanding game with 16 points of...

Cheers To New Beginnings On January 10, 2021, Garden Spot FFA members took a trip to Harrisburg, PA for the Pennsylvania FFA Midwinter Convention. Mid-Winter Convention is a state event held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show to recognize those who have received scholarships, awards, and degrees. Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding spoke at the beginning of the convention mentioning what it means to the Department of Agriculture for the work and dedication being brought from FFA. Remarks were also given by Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. The auctioneering contest is new to the Farm Show this year and Garden Spot FFA member Jaclyn Martin placed 2nd at this event! During the auctioneering contest, contestants had to take a written exam and a practice sale. The contestants were judged on their clarity, appearance, and voice control. Jaclyn won $100.00 and she enjoyed spending time with her brother who taught her what she knows about being an auctioneer! We wa...

On Wednesday morning, five Pioneer student-athletes committed their futures to four different post-secondary institutions. Here’s a short summary of each of them.  Student-athletes are listed in alphabetical order by last name Molly Bucher, East Stroudsburg University (Soccer) In 2021, Bucher scored 3 goals as part of a Pioneer team that went 12-8 and reached the District III playoffs. East Stroudsburg competes in the Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, where they have won 7 conference titles and reached the NCAA tournament 8 times. The Warriors had a 10-7-1 record in 2021 Barrett Denlinger, Ursinus College (Lacrosse) Denlinger will be joining the men’s lacrosse program at Ursinus, who compete in the Division III Centennial Conference. In their last full season, the Bears had a 13-4 record, winning the first conference title in school history and reaching the NCAA tournament for only the 2nd time. The Bears are currently 19th in the NCAA D3 rankings.  Beau Heys...