BY JEFF FALK

SOUTH LEBANON – That they were three programs – actually six – in various stages of their development really didn’t seem to matter. That’s because there’s nothing like going up against a neighbor for bringing out the best in a competitor.

In the most local track and field competition this side of the Lebanon County meet, big sibling Cedar Crest used its size and depth to overwhelm local brethren Annville-Cleona and Lebanon High, on Thursday afternoon during a mid-season, non-league tri-meet at CCHS.

The Falcon boys accumulated 102 team points to the Little Dutchmen’s 63 and the Cedars’ 31. In the girls’ portion of the meet, Cedar Crest tallied 96 points, compared to Annville-Cleona’s 62 and Lebanon High’s 24.

Falcon girls finished first in nine of a possible 18 events. Meanwhile, the CC boys got the job done in the field, where they won all but one event.

The boys’ outcomes made Cedar Crest 5-1 overall, Annville-Cleona 3-2 and Lebanon 0-4. The Falcon girls are now 4-2 in dual meets, while their counterparts from A-C are 2-3 and Lebanon 0-4.

“I’m very pleased with our effort,” said Cedar Crest boys’ coach Rob Bare. “Our field events were very strong. We took some gigantic steps forward today. Our field events really stepped up, and we were limited by injuries on the track.

“Annville-Cleona’s got a big team,” added Bare. “And Lebanon’s on the rebound. It’s always nice to have a local meet.”

With their near-sweep of the field, the Falcon boys claimed first-places in 11 of the 18 events. Double winners for Cedar Crest were Landy Cruz, who copped the long and high jumps, Jordan Louis, who took the triple jump and 1600-meter run, and Brandon Henriquez, who garnered both of the hurdle events.

The javelin competition went to Cedar Crest’s Nick Cascarino, while teammates Pat Donley and Ryan Young won the discus and shot put, respectively. Falcon Denzel Pierre captured the 100-meter dash, then teamed with Peter Groff, Damon Edwards and Jared Brandt to take top honors in the 400-meter relay.

“I’m very pleased with the way things are going,” said Bare. “Obviously we’re young and inexperienced, but we’re coming together. We’re mainly junior and sophomore-dominated, but we’re having great senior leadership.”

Led by Ben Mason and Shawn Wolfe, Annville-Cleona fared well on the track. Mason finished first in the 200 and 400 meter dashes, and was a main cog in two victorious relay teams.

Mason, Wolfe, Jeff Inman and Mark Bachman collaborated in the 3200-meter relay, and Mason, Wolfe, Bachman and Eric Bowman came together for a 1600-meter triumph. Wolfe won the 800-meter run in a near-stadium-record 1:54.4, while Inman ran away from the 3200-meter competition.

Lebanon’s lone victory came from Zach Norman in the pole vault.

“I never want to use the word ‘rebuilding”, but we lost some big guns,” said Bare. “For the most part, we’ve done a great job rising to the occasion. The guys have stepped up and people have matured. We’re pretty happy where we’re at.”

The Crest girls’ were led by softball-player-turned-sprinter Katie Gable, who claimed the 100 and 200-meter dashes, and anchored a victorious 400-meter relay team that also included Kelsey Kauffman, Sharon Sees and Madeline Smith. Cedar Crest also won the other two relay events, thanks to the efforts of Olivia Hess, Taylor Menser, Haleigh Echard and Olivia Mulany in the 3200 meters, and Hess, Kauffman, Menser and Brianna Laliberte in the 400 meters.

Echard was the winner of the 3200-meter run, Falcon Mackenzie Shiner ran to glory in the 1600 meters and teammate Rachel Smith finished first in the 800 meters. Off the beaten track, Cedar Crest got triumphs from Shannon Sweigart in the discus and Clair Fitzgibbons in the triple jump.

“I basically told the girls we’re going for times today,” said Annville-Cleona girls’ coach Jerome Simon. “We were trying to drop times and not worry about places. But we stepped it up today.

“We were hanging in there with Cedar Crest for a while,” Simon continued. “But I was very pleased with what we did.”

For Simon’s Little Dutchmen, Sulee Bellaman won the 100 high hurdles, Alex Siebecker took the 300 hurdles and Shelby Dove ran first in the 400 meters. Other victorious Annville-Cleona competitors included Alyssa Patches in the javelin, Avree Wright in the shot put, Sidni Peiffer in the high jump and triple jump and Samantha Becker in the pole vault.

“We have a lot of juniors and freshmen,” said Simon. “And I truly believe with time they’re going to get better and better and better. And they’re excited. Hopefully we can build on this and be a force to be reckoned with next year.”

“This is the first year in three that we’ve been able to field every event,” said Lebanon head coach Nick Watts, whose numbers are on the rebound. ” But to be honest, our goals are still very internal. Our biggest thing is developing these young kids, keeping them and having them have fun. For the sophomores, it’s where we need them to be. The trick is to get them to come out.We’re getting good leadership from our seniors, but not a lot of points.

“The bright side is we have about 40 sophomores,” added Watts. “We don’t have a lot of upperclassmen coming out. But our best years are in the middle school. We’re undertaking a very strategic building project, and so far, so good.”

NON-LEAGUE
CEDAR CREST 102, ANNVILLE-CLEONA 63, LEBANON 24
3,200 relay – 1. Annville-Cleona (Bachman, B. Mason, Inman, Wolfe) 8:32.8; Cedar Crest.
110 hurdles – 1. Henriquez (CC) 16.0; 2. Jocham (A-C); 3. Winslow (A-C); 4. Calvert (CC).
100 – 1. Pierre (CC) 11.2; 2. Mason (A-C); 3. Edwards (CC); 4. Delcruz (LEB).
1,600 – 1. Jo. Cruise (CC) 4:43.8; 2. Inman (A-C); 3. Bachman (A-C); 4. Royer (CC).
400 relay – 1. Cedar Crest (Groff, Edwards, Brandt, Pierre) 44.4.
400 – 1. B. Mason (A-C) 51.0; 2. Rodriguez (LEB) 52.2; 3. Bowman (A-C); 4. Rios (CC).
300 hurdles – 1. Henriquez (CC) 41.2; 2. Jocham (A-C) 44.3; 3. Winslow (A-C); 4. Calvert (CC).
800 – 1. Wolfe (A-C) 1:54.4; 2. Bragg (CC); 3. Ja. Cruise (CC); 4. Payne (LEB).
200 – 1. B. Mason (A-C) 22.8; 2. Brandt (CC); 3. Rodriquez (LEB); 4. Edwards (CC).
3,200 – 1. Inman (A-C) 10:26.8; 2. Redcay (CC); 3. Gill (CC); 4. Bosworth (A-C).
1,600 relay – 1. Annville-Cleona (Bachman, Bowman, B. Mason, Wolfe) 3:31.4; 2. Lebanon.
Shot put – 1. Ryan Young (CC) 46-3; 2. Kelly (CC); 3. Cummins (LEB); 4. Kline (CC).
Discus – 1. Pat Donley (CC) 134-10; 2. Cascarino (CC) 109-9; 3. Cabinaw (LEB); 4. Hartman (LEB).
Triple jump – 1. Jason Lewis (CC) 41-2; 2. Cruz (CC); 3. M. Light (A-C); 4. Persuad (LEB).
Long jump – 1. Landy Cruz (CC) 19-2.75; 2. Edwards (CC); 3. Horn (CC); 4. Persuad (LEB).
High jump – 1. Landy Cruz (CC) 5-5; 3. A. Mason (A-C); 3. Candelario (CC); 4. Ferrara (CC).
Pole vault – 1. Zac Norman (LEB) 13-8; 2. Neiswender (CC); 3. Corle (A-C); 4. Winslow (A-C).
Javelin – 1. Nick Cascarino (CC) 194-10; 2. Horn (CC); 3. Cabinaw (LEB); 4. M. Light (A-C).

NON-LEAGUE
CEDAR CREST 96, ANNVILLE-CLEONA 62, LEBANON 31
3,200 relay – 1.Cedar Crest (Hess, Menser, Echard, Malloy) 10:51.8.
110 hurdles – 1. Sulee Bellaman (A-C) 18.6; 2. Robins (CC); 3. Hanle (CC); 4. Kreamer (A-C).
100 – 1. Katie Gable (CC) 12.4; 2. Dorsainuit (CC) 13.4; 3. Chambers (LEB); 4. Marderness (LEB).
1,600 – 1. Mackenzie Shiner (CC) 5:42; 2. Zaunduk (CC); 3. Fiorentino (CC); 4. Corle (A-C).
400 relay – 1. Cedar Crest (Kauffman, Sies, M. Smith, Gable) 4:29.0; 2. Lebanon.
400 – 1. Shelby Dove (A-C) 1:04.5; 2. Harmuth (CC); 3. Ulrich (LEB); 4. Laliberte (CC).
300 hurdles – 1. Alex Siebecker (A-C) 51.5; 2. Ramos (CC); 3. Kreamer (A-C); 4. Hanle (CC).
800 – 1. Rachel Smith (CC) 2:32.4; 2. Conners (A-C); 3. Foster (LEB); 4. Lyter (CC).
200 – 1. Katie Gable (CC) 26.1; 2. Sees (CC); 3. Chambers (LEB); 3. Chappel (A-C).
3,200 – 1. Haleigh Echard (CC) 12:54.3; 2. Waldron (CC); 3. Casciotti (A-C); 4. Rudd (A-C).
1,600 relay – 1. Cedar Crest (Hess, Kauffman, Menser, Laliberte) 4:29.
Shot put – 1. Avree Wright (A-C) 38-4; 2. Sweigert (CC); 3. Taylor (LEB); 4. Blizzard (CC).
Discus – 1. Shanna Sweigart (CC) 104-11; 2. Taylor (A-C); 3. Grinnage (CC); 4. Gerdes (CC).
Triple jump – 1. Claire Fitzgibbons (CC) 31-10.75; 2. Malloy (A-C); 3. Horn (CC); 4. Becker (A-C).
Long jump – 1. Sidni Peiffer (A-C) 14-2; 2. Malloy (A-C); 3. Fitzgibbons (CC).
High jump – 1. Sidni Peiffer (A-C) 5-0; 2. Reedy (CC); 3. Siebecker (A-C); 4. Davis (CC).
Pole vault – 1. Sam Becker (A-C) 11-0; 2. Winters (LEB); 3. Showers (LEB); 4. Springborn (CC).
Javelin – 1. Alyssa Patches (A-C) 100-7.5; 2. Wright (A-C); 3. Reedy (CC).