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3 years ago
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“Fundamentally, he was the best. During football season, we met at his house every Sunday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.. We always had to make a schedule and practices always went by that schedule. Everything was so organized. He wasn’t a guy who was rah-rah. But his teams were so prepared. I always thought that’s what differentiated him from other coaches. If you played for or coached for Norb, you learned a lot. But when the game was over, the game was over.

“Practice was always two hours. I think the kids really respected that. He always referred to his players as men and he treated them like men. He showed respect to students, whether they played football or not. I thought that was really important.” – Former Cedar Crest assistant football coach Frank Hetrick, on Norbie Danz.

“For the most part, every year that was one of our trademarks. And I think that was true this year. We worked hard, tried to get better every week and re-evaluated. You can’t stop working and you’ve got to instill that mindset into your players. As coaches you have to ask yourselves, ‘Do we have them in the best possible places to succeed?’ You want to tweak things with the personnel you have.

“I think how they will be remembered is important to everybody. I hope I’m remembered as a good coach who positively influenced the people around me – my assistant coaches and my players. I think we made the community of Palmyra a better place, and hopefully I had something to do with that. Hopefully, I left the program a little better than I found it.” – Palmyra Head Football Coach Chris Pope.

“That was a very big factor in my decision. That’s kind of what separated LVC from other Division Three schools in my mind. I don’t really know if I have a favorite (sport). I don’t know if I’ve ever gone a year without playing those two sports. If I didn’t come up here, I knew I’d have to give up one of them. It was a very big factor in my decision.

“A couple of the PSAC (Division Two) schools were looking at me for football and a couple of Division Three schools wanted me to play basketball, but it never really came up about playing both. I think the reason that LVC wanted me to play both is that they had seen me play. I’ve been around both. In my mind, I would’ve been willing to go where I could play the earliest and where they needed me the most. LVC was close to home, and I really thought I was going to enjoy it.” – Lebanon Valley College Two-Sport Athlete and Elco graduate Braden Bohannon.

 “One of my co-workers and his family watched every one of my games in Tokyo. At the end, they were watching because they had become fans of wheelchair basketball. Because of NBC sports coverage, Americans got to see Paralympic sports in primetime, and they became fans. Now people have heard of Paralympics.

 “When you look at wheelchair basketball, the wheelchair is just equipment we use to play, like Kevin Durant uses shoes to play. People say, ‘I could never do that. It’s too hard.’ But that’s not true. They could if they put their mind to it and practiced. Too many people see the wheelchair as being a disability. But to me, it’s just equipment I need to play the game I love. There are so many parallels between the Paralympics and the Olympics. It’s pretty cool to see it becoming mainstream.” – Paralympic Gold Medalist and Cedar Crest Graduate Ryan Neiswender.

“It was a busy day. But it’s something I’ve been doing since the seventh grade because I love both. It’s about finding a balance, but we have found a plan to do both. I’ve been able to get my workouts with cross country in before school, then stretch with my cross country teammates after school and then go to field hockey practice. It’s just trying to be a part of the team aspect in both sports. I’m a runner who plays field hockey. Running is definitely my main sport and my to priority, When I have both, I’m always going to choose running.” – Annville-Cleona Senior Runner and Field Hockey Player Braetan Peters.

“I think he would’ve been happy to donate his organs. I honestly think he was there, that he was watching (during the procedure). I think it made him very happy to donate his organs. He was quite a character. He loved his friends and they loved him. I think he’s proud of the way we’ve dealt with his passing and the organ donations.” – Amy Setlock, Eli’s Mom.

“Covering Lebanon County sports is very important to me. Lebanon is my hometown and I’ve always wanted it to have the best possible coverage. It’s amazing how many great players and teams I’ve had the privilege of covering. And they’ve impacted me just as much. I’ve been very fortunate and have some wonderful memories.

“I’ve come to realize the challenges that it (Parkinson’s) presents. For the first couple of years, it didn’t really hit me. But as it’s gone along, it’s gotten a little more difficult. I guess I’ve sort of come to realize how amazing it (what he’s been able to accomplish) is.” – Lebanon Daily News Sportswriter Pat Huggins.

“It’s in the back of my mind for sure. I’m just glad I got the opportunity to come out here and play the game. I’ve just got to get ready every week and know that some of those other things will take care of themselves.” – University of New Hampshire safety and former Cedar Crest star Evan Horn, on approaching the end of his college career.

“You deal with it with confidence. You stay poised. You understand that things are not always fair. But you’re still judged on results. At the end of the day, it’s a results-oriented business. I have a great job. Everybody has to deal with it. You’re working together with a great bunch of guys. You’ve got to take some bad with a lot of good.” – Indianapolis Colts Head Coach and Cedar Crest graduate Frank Reich.

“It’s early, but we’re still waiting for our Santa Claus. Early on, we began to go down this path when families suggested it would be a good idea. I don’t think we would’ve started this effort if we didn’t think a large donor would come in and give a sizeable donation.

 “It’s not a question of if we’re going to resurface the courts and cover the courts, but when. We have set up a fundraising committee, but we have not yet approached business leaders or offered sponsorship opportunities. That’s the next strategic move we’re going to make.” – Lebanon Valley Community Tennis Association co-founder Jeff Robbins.

“There’s a saying from the movie Miracle ‘It’s not about the name on the back, it’s about the name on the front,’. It was then, and it still is, first and foremost, about competing for the United States and this great country we’re from. That comes first in my mind. But for me, it was also important competing as a female athlete.

 “There is that part of it (being the best in the world), but that couldn’t have happened without having that support. I didn’t have to fund myself. I had Team USA supporting me. There is that individual piece to it. It’s an individual sport. It’s you and the target. But before that, it’s never just you.” – Jamie Corkish, the only Lebanon County native to ever win an Olympic Gold medal.

“I love our country. I was always raised to respect the flag, respect our country and respect everyone, but to have an even higher respect for the people who fought for it. Going off to fight a war is one of the most patriotic things you can do. People need to respect our veterans. It’s about America and patriotism.” – Fredericksburg American Legion Baseball Player Dylan Beard, on erecting a monument at Earl Wenger Memorial Field.

“You never want to say ‘no, it can’t happen,’ It’s very cyclical. You can have really good four-year stretches. It’s very cyclical. To be good every year, for 15 to 20 years in-a-row, there’s not many programs and schools that do that anymore. Can you still be competitive every year? Absolutely. Can they get back to where they were in the (19)70s and (19)80s? That would be hard.” – Elco Athletic Director Doug Bohannon, on the Raiders’ boys’ soccer program.

“I think there is some credibility in the fact that the kids know my experience. But to be a great coach, by no means did you have to be a great player. There are also a lot of great players who weren’t great coaches. I think one of the things that helps is just the amount of games I have been a part of, that I’ve seen and witnessed. For a decade, my life was spring training, 140 games and then off to winter ball.

“Oh yeah, I think the players do know about my major league caree. They often tease me about my ERA in the majors. There’s a baseball video game that they play, and I have one of the worst player rankings.” – Palmyra Baseball Coach Neil Weber.

“I called him every day he was in the hospital. Then, the day the girls beat Donegal (April 7) I called him and said, ‘Ed, guess what. The girls beat Donegal.’ He said, ‘They did? What was the score?’ I said, ‘6-5’.

“He was very, very happy when he was around his family and friends, But he was a completely different kind of happy when he was on the ball field. His philosophy was not just to go out on the field and throw the ball and hit the ball, he was a teacher, a mentor. He wanted to make sure his players knew the game of baseball and softball.” – Oriana Spittle, widow of Northern Lebanon softball coach Ed Spittle.

“For me, this is the top of my profession. To be able to work for the Ravens organization, and with the culture that exists there, I have been blessed. It’s my belief that Baltimore is the top franchise in the NFL. To have that opportunity is absolutely amazing. Quite honestly, this is my dream job. Not only to have the position, it’s also about the ‘who.’

“Absolutely, it is the next best thing to being a player. I’m so blessed to have this experience and opportunity. I appreciate everybody. I’m the head strength and conditioning coach for the Baltimore Ravens. I never have a problem getting up in the morning.” – Baltimore Ravens Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Steve Saunders.

“I thoroughly enjoy it. I’ve been around sports all my life. I enjoy being around people. I enjoy the challenge of it. I don’t want to say it’s all about the money, but the money is nice. Over the years, I’ve developed a good rapport with the coaches and players.” – Local Softball Umpire Denny Galbraith.

“From (ages) 21 to 26, it (drug dealing) was my livelihood, and I flourished. I wanted to be somebody, and that’s who I became. But when I got it together, I became who I wanted to be. When I was younger, I thought it was cool to have connections and have the older kids looking up to me. Success builds off incremental progress.

“When I got busted, I got brought down. My friends were in on the investigation. My first thought was, ‘Who do I turn to?’ My friends got me into it. I learned to say, ‘no’. I learned to care less about other people. They’re not my friends. I turned inside to me.” – Former Lebanon Football Standout Ernie Groff.

“There’s going to be a winner, and numerous people who don’t. That, in it’s very nature, makes it a competition. I’m going to do everything I can to come out on top. I’m a competitive person. Honestly, it’s a whole new world for me. So far, it’s been challenging, for sure.” – Local Golf Champion Chris Gebhard.

“There’s a quote about a storm that I always refer to. Fate whispered to the warrior, ‘You can’t handle the storm’. And the warrior whispered back, ‘I am the storm’. When you go through the storm, it’s going to change you, and if you allow it to, it’ll change you for the better. I thought I was going to be married to Tiff for the rest of my life. The adversity we went through can change you for the better. I think it allowed me to have a better relationship with God.” – Cedar Crest head track and field coach Rob Bare.

“I think the message is that grit and hard work pays off. It’s old school. I’m grateful for the sacrifices my parents made to send me to Lebanon Catholic. I’m grateful for my coaches. I’m grateful for the people who took time from their busy schedules to invest in me, and now I can give back.

“There was a period of putting my time in and paying my dues, I didn’t just walk into the facility one day and become the first female warden of the Lebanon County Correctional Facility. I developed. But I don’t look at myself as the captain of the team. I don’t know all the answers, but I know where to get them. There are a lot of smart people who work in this facility. But I put my time in and I was disciplined within my team.” – Former Lebanon Catholic star and the Lebanon County Correctional Facility’s first female warden, Tina Litz.

“I wasn’t ready to move on right away. But once I started getting into a routine and going to Cedar Crest, it made me feel better. Once I made it through the golf season (in the fall) and I started playing basketball, I think I got the closure I needed. I knew it was time to move on. Maybe there are some people who still haven’t had that closure.

“Yeah, I knew I was going to go out for the (basketball) team wherever I was going to go to school. It’s not like the school closing put me that far down that I wasn’t going to go out for basketball the next year.” – Cedar Crest Senior Guard Mark Gates.

“I don’t know if there’s any secret. It’s hard work and keeping your head up. A lot of people have told me that I’m always smiling. You can do bad in one race and still smile. You can’t get down on yourself. It’s just do what you do. Noting comes easy. Each trip is different. You have to compete. Every time you go on the race track, it can play out a different way. I love it. It’s exciting. It’s an adrenaline rush and I like to win.” – Harness Racer and Lebanon Native Chris Shaw, on his 1,000th victory.

“A lot of thought was put into it. I’m not a guy who takes things lightly or who’s looking to transfer. That’s not how my parents raised me. I think you know that about me. I want to finish what I start. After months of thought, this is probably the best thing for me.

“I usually make decisions with the best interests of other people in mind, but I made this decision for myself. I wish I wasn’t in this position. But at the end of the day, I have to make the best decision for me. I love the New Hampshire football program and I gave it my all. But in a couple of years I don’t want to look back and think, ‘What if?” – Former Cedar Crest Star and New Hampshire Safety Evan Horn.

“I feel like I’ve really grown spiritually. My relationship with God is more important. But I’ve also grown mentally, physically and emotionally. Just becoming more level-headed. As a man, you’ve got to stay even-keeled all the time. As a man, everything I do is for someone else. I don’t do it for me. As a football player, I will do anything to win, and to be successful in life.” – Southern Miss Offensive Tackle and Lebanon High grad Khalique Washington.

“We’ve always been honest with ourselves. Being objectively honest, we weren’t going to stop working until we had the best bat. We didn’t want to become complacent. We had a plan and stuck to it, as far as how the brand should be. We wanted to change the game.

“A lot of times, success happens with some luck, but it’s also that extra ten percent you put into it. I feel all the luck comes from when we went that extra mile. The work we put into it is the fun part. We’ve created a culture where we have a lot of ball players and a lot of creative people.” – Palmyra graduate and Victus Sports Co-Founder Jared Smith.

“I feel like it’s more common than people think. People think they’re alone, but it’s because they hide it. I feel that people need to open up, because it can help others. I feel like I’ve been given a platform. I’m becoming more open and people are realizing I’m just a normal person. I’m not a robot. I’m human. I have emotions. I break down.

“One of the most important things a person can do is reach out to a psychologist or a professional. Just reach out because there are people who can help. I think there’s a negative stigma attached to it. But people shouldn’t be afraid to cry. Let it out, because if you keep it inside, it could lead to a breakdown. I feel like I need to talk about it, because so many people deal with anxious energy. I feel if I’m open with it, other people will feel it’s OK to be anxious.” – Cedar Crest Senior Runner Gwyneth Young.

“It’s growing expotentially. It’s taking off. It’s unbelievable. It’s a ‘build it and they will come’ kind of thing. Sometimes when you come here on a Sunday, you have to wait to play. You almost need to have a tee time. It’s something very inexpensive and it’s fun. You’re out in the open.

“The first basket-course was built in California in the late (19)70s. “But the explosion took place in the 90s. It was very slow growth at the beginning. Now I can leave my house and there are courses in Harrisburg, York and Lancaster.” – Local Disc Golf Course Builder Mike Dunkle.

“I like the way my teammates treat me. I fit in well. We joke around a lot, and it’s like normal. I really wouldn’t change anything about it. I think it’s really hard to play football, but it would be even harder if I didn’t have teammates who didn’t support a girl playing. It kind of comes off as a boys’ sport because it’s male-dominated. I think some girls definitely don’t want to be hit. But I think some are a little interested and would like to play.” – Elco Freshman Football Player Sara Miller.

“There are a lot of things that drive me. I’m motivated by a handful of things. The main driver for me is my faith in Christ, just an appreciation of the opportunity to have an impact and live out that faith as a football coach. I want to show gratitude to the Lord for the opportunity he has given me. I want to have an impact, on and off the field. ” – Indianapolis Colts’ Head Coach and Cedar Crest graduate Frank Reich.

“I try to stay connected to about eight to 12 people. It’s important to me. I love my Lebanon time. When we’re not in the middle of a pandemic, I probably get there twice a year. I value hard work. I think I’m a product of exactly what I came from. There’s nothing without all of that. Zero. I place a high value on Lebanon and what the community did for me. It’s super important to me. I respect.” – Professional sports agent and Lebanon native Adam Katz.

“My wife had an aunt and uncle who lived in Palmyra. We visited them regularly. We liked to come to Pennsylvania. I had them looking for a farm in the area. I was eager to buy because I grew up on a farm. They told me about this one in the Valley Glen area, and we bought it. That’s what brought us to Annville. It was a good situation.” – Former Major League Pitcher and Annville resident Claude Osteen.

“He cared about the people who didn’t have anywhere to go. He wanted to help everybody. His mission was to bring people together. It was his way of making an impact. Obviously, he wanted to win, but he also wanted to make people happy. He wanted everybody to get a chance to be who they are. Everybody wants to come, but nobody wants to do anything. ” – Traci Deraco-Ginnona, on her late father Gus Deraco.

“It’s a movie for just about any sports fan,” said Nicole Soliday, executive director of the Hershey Historical Society of her directorial debut. “It’s for any hockey fan, for sure. For me, the best part of the film was that we were able to integrate all these personalities into the story. There’s something there that’s very personal, and we touched on that.” – Hershey Historical Society Executive Director Nicole Soliday, on the film ‘B’ars to Bears: Hershey’s Hockey Dynasty’.

“It’s the truth. There’s a fine line. Because of certain people, I could’ve easily gone the other direction. I’ll be the first one to tell you that. I could’ve very, very easily been on the other side of the fence.

“I think it was 100 percent, all that stuff. I’m in the correctional business and I’m second in command in the whole state of Pennsylvania. It’s almost unreal to me, where I’ve gotten. Everything goes back to sports for me. It’s a team, it really is. It all came from me being a basketball player at Lebanon.” – Pennsylvania’s Executive Deputy Secretary for Institutional Operations and former Lebanon point guard, Tabb Bickell.

“When people call me a ‘legend’, it does kind of make me chuckle,” said Hower. “I think people associate ‘legend’ with the length of time I’ve been doing it. I can walk away knowing I gave it my all. Some of these people who have played for me now have kids who I’m coaching, and sometimes they think I’m a legend because I’ve been there so long.” – Lebanon Catholic Girls’ Basketball Coach Patti Hower.

“I can certainly relate the two to what I’m doing now,” said Gienow, a 2012 graduate of Northern Lebanon. “When you’re a pitcher, you practice your mechanics – arm angle, steps, where to land – over and over. Then when you get on the mound on game day, you’ve got to leave it all go. Performing music is a lot of the same things. It’s all practice. When you get up on stage, you can get lost in the moment. It’s preparation to the point of muscle memory. When you don’t have to think about it, that’s when you’re doing it the best.” – Musician and former Northern Lebanon pitcher Lucas Gienow.

“It is a challenge. Lebanon has always been a basketball community. I don’t know if the expectations are as high for football. Making football a priority at a young age is important. Football is hard. It’s a grind. You’re always trying to find ways to motivate and get kids here, getting them in the weight room and getting them stronger. But the kids are so great. It’s been my most enjoyable experience, and I’ve developed some great relationships. That’s what Lebanon is about. It’s very unique.” – Former Lebanon High Football Coach Gerry Yonchiuk.

“I guess my role is to just keep my composure. I think my teammates trust me. They know when I’m calm, they can be calm and focused. We all know our roles. Each person knows what they can and can’t do, so our roles become situational. These moments are what I live for. I do basketball all year round, and when I get to share these moments with my teammates it’s really special. ” – Northern Lebanon Senior Guard Zara Zerman.

“I think we all make each other go. Everyone on this team can step up and score. He’s obviously a great player. We’ve been working together since the fourth grade. We’re both team players. All we care about at the end of the day is whether we win or not. He’s more of a strength guy. I’m quicker. But we work hand-in-hand, together. We’re a good one-two combo.” – Elco Senior Guard Bryce Coletti, on teammate Braden Bohannon.

“I would say our advantage is being a better team. Our depth is our advantage. It’s in our numbers, our game plan, our coahces. Height only gets you so far in basketball. If you’re not making plays, you’re not doing anything for your team. I like feeding off my teammates. We’re strong. We play for each other. That’s what gives us our advantage.” – Cedar Crest Senior Basketball Player Ilerri Ayo-Faleye.

“Absolutely, I’m doing this to help out. When you go to games and see guys who were reffing your games, and they’re still out there, it makes you think. When describing the need, I think the word ‘great’ is an understatement. Some guys are ready to retire, but they don’t because the need is great. Me getting into it was with the hope that it might spark interest in other former players.

“I’m hoping fans start becoming fans again. If they stopped yelling, it would allow more people to become officials. I want basketball to become a game again. If it keeps going this way, there might not be officials to ref games in the future. It’s a tough job.” – PIAA Basketball Official and Former Lebanon Catholic Star, Randy Pierre.

  “The biggest thing to me is how incredible God has made our bodies, and if you train and work hard, what you’re able to accomplish. I’m a firm believer that God has created our minds to do amazing thing. We can accomplish things we don’t believe are possible. When we combine our minds and bodies, we can go to places we didn’t think were possible. It’s kind of a soul-searching thing. It’s about who you are.” – Myerstown Ultra-Athlete Jody Schoffstall.

“Everything, my experiences at Lebanon Valley molded me into who I am, what I believe as a coach and how we play. Especially the tough times, the things that didn’t go my way. They helped me out the most. When I was in grade school, my uncle was the coach at Mahanoy Area, and I was the ball boy. Later, I was the point guard. I wanted to be in the gym as much as I could, but I wanted to play. But when I realized I couldn’t play, my desire to coach was there.” – former Lebanon Valley College point guard and current VCU Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Rhoades.

“Are there any father-son pairs who have been inducted? Are there any other females who are related in it? It’s amazing. I look up to my mom. She’s done some amazing things. We’re being inducted under two totally different platforms. I wouldn’t have been a great player without my mom, or my dad (Lonnie).

“My mom was always my coach. It was all I knew. Now that I’m older, my mom and I are best friends. It’s just a bond we have. On the court, she was my coach. On the bench, she was my coach. But when we got home, she was my mom. She did all the nurturing things moms do. She always wanted the best for me.” – Former Lebanon Catholic star and current Beavers’ assistant girls’ basketball coach Becky Kleinfelter, on her mom, Patti Hower.

 

“It’s not typical. But we are not living in typical times. We need to get the word out. The world, right now, is full of hurting people. The anxiety, the addiction, the loneliness of the world is weighing heavy on society. Many people don’t know they have a purpose, or what that purpose is. God doesn’t need you, but he wants to use you. We want to help people find their purpose.” – Five Stones Fight Club Founder Shane Manney.

 

“If I didn’t have this job, I’d have a landscaping job. We like the flexibility with sports. We wouldn’t play more sports. We enjoy doing this, helping friends and family. We’re learning responsibility. It’s a whole different thing than sports. Sport is physically demanding. Here, you’ve got to be ready for anything, whatever. Here, the cows are your money-makers. They’ve got to come first.” – Annville-Cleona Senior Multi-Sport Athlete Adam Long. 

 

“Like every team, we want to win our division. That’s always the first goal, but we’re in a very good division. Then you want to get homefield advantage. If you get into the playoffs, you want to win a championship. Every team has those goals. But we’re realy focused on the day-to-day approtach, of gettting better every day. That’s where we get our energy. That’s where we get our traction.” – Indianapolis Colts’ Head Coach and Lebanon native Frank Reich.

 

“It’s a men’s tournament, but it also brings youth out,” said Sweep The Streets founder, organizer and master of ceremonies George ‘GZO’ Rodriguez. “It’s important that we continue to do this and learn from it. The most important thing in a community is trust. We need our youth. It kind of shows, ‘My city is great, and a bunch of men can get together and play a game of competitive basketball and get along.’

  “Hats off to the people behind the scenes who do things for the community. Whether it’s basketball related or community advocacy related. Let’s continue to work together to make Lebanon great.” – Sweep The Streets Founder George ‘Gzo’ Rodriguez.

 

“The biggest thing I can do is learn abour our coaches. My biggest challenge is: ‘How can I help them do their jobs better?’ ‘How can I remove obstacles to make their jobs easier?’ Coaching is difficult enough, and it’s difficult for school districts to keep good coaches. Right now, I’m going to start small. I want to learn as much as I can and evaluate. For me, it’s about continuing improvement. I don’t have those larger goals. I can’t serve our athletes and coaches until I know them better.” – Cedar Crest Athletic Director Chris Groff

 

 “It was a good working relationship. The best thing was that we had that continuity. He knew what I wanted. We were on the same page. He really emphasized defense. Our philosophies were the same. He supported what I did. He tried to get the kids ready for me. He understood the game. He knew at the seventh- and eighth-grade levels what they needed. The kids loved him. He gave constructive criticism. They listened to him. They wanted to play for him.” – Lebanon Catholic Girls’ Basketball Coach Patti Hower, on Charlie Middleton.

 

I’m going to say I decided to play college football at the end of my last high school season. All my life I played basketball. It was my first love. But as I got older, I kept getting bigger and I thought I had a better chance of going football. I’d say it was always in me. But I don’t think I always worked hard. Now I realize how important hard work is. It’s something you can develop, but it’s something that’s always been in me.” – Lebanon graduate and Southern Mississippi offensive lineman Khalique Washington.

 

“He started in our pee wee class, but he wasn’t there very long. He excelled very quickly. He went to all-stars, which is the next level up, and then to taekwondo. During the 34 years I’ve been teaching, he’s the youngest black belt I’ve ever had. He was six when he earned his black belt, and that’s very unusual.

  “It’s not only his physical skills. He’s a very well-mannered young person. He has a very outstanding personality. Someday, somebody is going to notice him. I could see him being in movies and going to the Junior Olympics and Olympics. You can just tell the kid is going to be special. It’s been exciting seeing how fast things have moved for him.” – Taekwondo Master David Gladwell, on seven-year-old student Joshua Aguirre.

 

 “I’m blessed to have a talented group of individuals. This is one of the best groups to come through here. We’ve had a lot of top performances from underclassmen. Beyond our varsity five, we have depth. There’s strength in numbers. Well, it (bowling) can be a little bit of both (an individual and a team pursuit). Even in team competitions, you’re still bowling individually. Everybody always has to put their best foot forward and pick up their spot.” – Cedar Crest Bowling Coach Jen Wagner.

 

“It’s great that both teams were able to work through some adversity and walk away with district championships, I followed along with scores and stuff online, and would talk to my old teammates and friends about their games, so I was pretty much in the loop. I think that their regular season record doesn’t reflect the talent and skill that they possess as a team. They were definitely able to step up and play their best basketball during the district tournament, though.” – Former Palmyra and Current Lancaster Country Day basketball player Annabelle Copeland.

 “I guess it just proves you can go home again. I gave 15 years of my life to the Lebanon sports scene. I was laid off from the Lebanon Daily News in August of 2014, and four years later I was back in Lebanon County covering sports. I guess you can’t take the sports out of the sports guy. I really enjoy being back in the local sports scene.” Local Radio Broadcaster and former Lebanon Daily News Sports Editor Mike Givler.

“One of the things I can say for sure is that I didn’t put expectations on number of wins. We decided we weren’t going to surrender outcomes for process, and that we were going to believe in each other. When you get to 1-5 and say you’re not worrying about results, your thinking gets challenged. But we didn’t waiver.

 My coaching style revolves around people and process, and toughness. The way we define toughness is a relentless pursuit to get better everyday and an obsession for finishing. I want that to carry over to the rest of the team, in meetings and how we meet. But it’s important to have the right type of player who is willing to receive it. I’m not a yeller or a screamer. I’m very demanding of myself, and of myself as a coach, but that also has to be felt.” – Indianapolis Colts Head Coach and Cedar Crest product Frank Reich.

 

“They can be teaching moments. Especially with this group, because we’re so young. I’ll take them (timeouts) because they (her players) don’t know the game well, and I can sort of explain things to them. I don’t really go into a game with a plan for my timeouts. My style is more reactionary.” – Lebanon Girls’ Basketball Coach Jaime Walborn, on her use of timeouts.

 

“My sideline deal is I’m watching the offense all the time. Then it’s like, ‘Get ready to go.’ I’m warm the whole time, almost like a pitcher in the bull pen. When it’s third down, I take a few leg swings. It’s hard to put into words, and it’s different for everyone. When I’m going well, after the kick is gone, I can’t remember it. I’m so focused in. I can’t hear anything. Everything just slows down. Mentally, you’re in a cleared-out zone where nothing is in your head.” – Eastern Michigan Kicker and Cedar Crest Product Chad Ryland.

 

“I remember growing up and playing basketball in our driveway. Then in the summer, before my freshman year of football, Evan told me, ‘You’re lifting with me.’ I think he was taking me under his wing and showing me the ropes.’ He still texts me after every single game.” – Cedar Crest Three-Sport Star, Logan Horn.

 

“What intrigues me most is that for my whole life, since the age of four, I’ve loved basketball so much. It’s part of who I am. It’s helped develop the person I am. What’s most intriguing is the transition from player to official and re-learning something I’ve known my whole life. I got to love it again. It’s like falling in love all over again.

 “It’s a huge honor. It’s a blessing. At times, it feels like there’s more pressure than on my male counterparts, just because there’s more of them. They’re (Violet Palmer, Dee Kantner, the first full-time female NBA officials) such inspiring women. What it means to me is that when the next females come into the league, hopefully they can looking at me like I do the women who came before me. I’m trying to help foster a legacy of inspiring women.” – Cedar Crest graduate and NBA referee Ashley Moyer-Gleich

 

“It’s nice that people think that way. But soccer is a team sport. It’s not one person. As long as we’re winning, it doesn’t matter. I’d rather win than score. Who cares who scores? I think that approach helps our team chemistry.

The last team to come through our program and win districts had two of our coaches on it. It’s pretty cool that they did that as players and now they’re our coaches. It’s nice that we’re making history. This year we’re really close and we’ve connected as a team. But it goes beyond just our soccer family. Our immediate families are just so into it too. We get so much from our parents, our coaches and our community. I think they should be appreciated as well.” – Elco Senior Midfielder Ryelle Shuey, on her and her team’s place in Lebanon County girls’ soccer history.

 

“Esports is really competitive gaming. What it is is video games played at a casual level and taking it to a very competitive level. At first it was electronic gaming, and Egaming became Esports. It’s not people getting together and playing Madden (vidoe football) on a couch. That’s not what we’re talking about. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes, just like other sports.

For people who don’t understand it, I would tell them to keep an open mind,” added Shapiro. “If you do, you might start to love the game. You can watch all of them on-line. Most people will find something they love about it. Esports are a highly spectator sport. If you played wiffle ball growing up, this is Major League Baseball to that.” – Lebanon Valley College Esports Director of Operations Dave Shapiro.

 

“He was a better athlete than me. He could shoot a soccer ball harder, and he was faster. (Legendary University of Indiana head coach) Jerry Yeagley said he was the best teammate he ever played with, a great friend and the best athlete he ever saw. He did everything with a type of class, a certain dignity. He wasn’t a yeller or a hollerer. He explained the game and taught the game. He was witty and smart and funny. His humor was really special. And he remebered so much.” – Former professional soccer player and current technical consultant and assistant University of Tampa men’s soccer coach Keith Fulk, on his dad, the late, great Bill Fulk.

 

“The prupose is to provide more competitive softball for Lebanon County. The purpoose is to provide more playing time. To provide opportunities for girls not participating in scholastic programs. Ultimately, it’s about the kids. I’m trying to promote more involvement with high school coaches. This is where it starts. If high schools can recognize the importance of the rec program, I think it could be a win-win for both sides.” – Lebanon County Girls’ Fastpitch League Director Tim White.

 

“I believe it’s an on-going problem within a bigger picture. There’s so much going on. Everybody wants to put their best possible product out there. I appreciate that. I have multiple-sport athletes. They’re good athletes and everybody wants them. We are forced to deal with other sports and their coaches’ requirements.” – Myerstown Legion Baseball coach Greg Petruska.

 

“I didn’t know what I was going to be doing. But I knew that was going to be my last year of playing baseball. At the time, I had entered some classes at West Chester (University) to be a teacher. This (Elite Baseball) kind of fell into my lap. It’s the best of both worlds for me. I get to teach and I get to teach baseball. I turned a passion into a job and a career. The hope is we can help them (players) with whatever their goals are. Maybe college placement or just help kids to navigate the next four years of their lives. You want to make sure it’s a good fit. It’s something we’re really good at. You hope to make them a better baseball player and that you can have an impact on their lives.” – Cedar Crest pitching coach and former professional baseball player Matt Knox.

 

“I feel like I’ve had an exceptional career. If I would’ve been more healthy, it might’ve been even better. But I’m a ‘win’ guy. The fact that I’m going to go on and play it, and that we haven’t had as many wins in baseball, is a little upsetting. For the most part, I’m pretty pleased with the way it has gone. I would’ve liked to have won more in all three sports. In basketball, we only had one season over .500. In baseball, we had three, but they were all like one or two games over .500. I wish we would’ve been able to make the playoffs more. Another thing I regret is not winning the school’s first playoff game in football.” – Northern Lebanon senior three-sport star Michigan Daub. 

“When I say this, I mean it with all my heart, from the Kentucky experience to all of my years in pro ball, when I reminsce I go back to my Lebanon Cedar days. I just wish we could’ve won that state championship game. Fifty-one to fifty, we were so close. When you get to this point of your life, all you have is memories. There’s no doubt when I think about basketball it’s about the Lebanon Cedars.

The one thing that sticks out is the people. The support I had, for those people to embrace me, my hometown was so proud of Sam Bowie and the Lebanon Cedars. It wasn’t a country club atmosphere. It was regular people, which is what I was.” –  Former Lebanon High, Kentucky and NBA Star Sam Bowie.

 

“I’ve been playing football for 15 years. And I’ve been working up to this all my life. It’s been a long process. I’ve had to work with what I’ve got. Football is something I never want to lose touch with, whether it’s playing, being an active fan or perhaps coaching some day. Football has taught me so much. It has molded me into the person I am today. Just the relationships I have built through football have been amazing. Getting an opportunity to participate in this pro day was unbelievable. The worst thing a person can say to you is ‘No’.” – Former Lebanon High Star and Bucknell Senior Mark Pyles.

 

“It’s interesting. I love the game. It’s been part of our life. I enjoy discussing the game with him and he loves discussing the game with me. It’s a fun part of our life. Everyone knows, whether I’m watching the game at home or at the stadium, ‘Don’t talk to me.’ I’m not a fan. I’m watching every play.

I would describe it more as this, ‘There’s always dialogue. My husband is tremendously excellent at what he does. We talk about guidance and wisdom and prayer. My role is more on the wisdom end. That’s what we do in a partnership.” – Lebanon native Linda Reich, wife of Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Frank Reich.

 

“I have thought about that a lot. Their sharing in the joy of this happening. Here’s why I love my parents as much as I do, their joy and excitement. But they would feel the same joy for my brother Joe or my sister Cindy when they reached their goals. I always believed and wanted to be an NFL head coach. I grew up in a family of coaches. My dad was a football coach. My mom was a coach. My brother is a head coach. I love the camaraderie. I love the people. I love the competition.” – Indianapolis Colts head coach and Lebanon native Frank Reich.

“The one thing I’ve learned is that I try not to rank them. Every situation is unique. This has been an incredible year. It’s about being in the moment, living in the moment. It’s about being in the moment together. You know there’s going to up-seasons and downs. You’ve got to learn to enjoy the good ones. This has been very rewarding.

“All the texts, phone calls and messages I’ve received, it takes me back to my roots, with family and friends. It reminds me of all the great experience we had at Cedar Crest High School. To come back and work for the Eagles, and share together in the excitement, it’s been very special. As much as we love football, for us it’s really about staying in the moment.” – Philadelphia Eagles’ Offensive Coordinator and Cedar Crest graduate Frank Reich.

“I know it’s going to happen, but I’m not worried about it. It’s just a phase in life. It’s not something that defines me as a person. But I love basketball. I have more games in than 85 to 90 percent of the population. So it’s like a blessing.” – Lebanon Valley College senior guard and Northern Lebanon graduate Sam Light.

“It’s (a love for basketball) just being out there on the court. It’s a team sport. It’s wanting to win. It’s hard to explain. It’s (basketball) something I’ve done since I was little. Actually, it started when I was being recruited. As time went on, I was missing basketball. In October or November, I went into (football) Coach (Sean) McDonnell’s office and asked him, “What are my options?’. I didn’t want to look back in ten years and have regrets about my college years. – Cedar Crest Graduate Evan Horn, on his decision to play basketball and football at Division One University of New Hampshire.

“I tell them, ‘Don’t rush your life. There’s plenty of time to work. Just be a kid. It’s life lessons. I’m trying to make them better off the court. God forbid that I’d have to deal with the kids I coached (at his regular job). If anyone would ever go down the wrong path, I hope they would be able to talk to me about it.  hope my girls in basketball are learning good life lessons. I think my kids know where I work. They understand ‘Zero Tolerance’. They also understand from a caring standpoint. I want to see them succeed on and off the court.” – Cedar Crest girls’ basketball coach Jim Donmoyer, Executive Director of Lebanon County Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

“I like to be that way all the time. It’s something I don’t think about. I was always that kid who wanted an autograph, who asked a lot of questions. The person I am today reflects on the people I grew up around. To be able to give back is pretty special. It’s (Lebanon) a small place. It’s a special place. Fairvew has always been really special to me. It (the turnout) was more than I expected. It’s pretty cool to be able to reconnect with people. They’ve been a big part of my life, since I was a little kid. I wanted to be that guy who puts smiles on people’s faces.” – Houston Astros’ Outfielder and Cedar Crest graduate Derek Fisher.

“If there’s an opportunity that presents itself, I’ll take it. I’ll try to put myself in front of people. I’m going to pursue it (catching on with a professional team). I love the game. It’s tough to play at the next level, anywhere. I’m going to work hard to try and open up some opportunities for myself. There’s a lot of opportunities to play more football. It starts with me improving and being the best player I can be, and then getting in front of the right people. It comes down to the work I put in. It’s what you make of it.” – Bucknell senior linebacker and former Lebanon High star Mark Pyles, on continuing his football career.

“Palmyra is such a close-knit town. They embrace the teams. I think we did it right this time. Every contribution is tax-deductible. In terms of momentum and energy, it’s been tremendous. We expect a large turnout in support of the project, at the next two board meetings. The biggest need we’re addressing is our field short fall. We’re 24 fields deficient, for our physical education classes, the band and our athletic programs. We’ve been through this twice prior. In 2002, I started talking about turf. In 2010, a more official presentation was made, and the vote was tabled. Here we are again in 2017. The difference in the early years was that it was a want, now it’s a decided need.” – Palmyra Athletic Director Brian Weidler, on a proposal that would construct two turf fields at Palmyra Middle School.

“Growing up, we watched my older brother playing basketball. As I was growing up, I got better and people said, ‘The sky is the limit’, and they encouraged me and influenced me. Last year, in the eleventh grade, I realized I wanted to play basketball in college. In ninth and tenth grades, I was OK. I’m getting older and I’m getting better. I have no idea how Northeastern found out about me. But I’m pretty sure it was through AAU. We played in big showcases. In my freshman year, I was still new to the process. I had a lot of Division One coaches coming after me, but I didn’t pay them any mind. I wasn’t doing my part.” – Lebanon Catholic senior forward Alexis Hill on her decision to continue her athletic and academic careers at Division One Northeastern.

“Norb (former Cedar Crest head coach Norbie Danz) always said Dale (Umberger) and I had a special way with kids. ‘They cling to you.’ It’s a gift from God. But it does make you feel good when you’re able to reach them. You wouldn’t believe how it makes you feel when (after a couple of years) they come up and hug you. It seems like they never forget you. You hope you’re teaching them things that will help them in life. Serving, giving – it’s so important in life today.” – Annville-Cleona line coach Frank Hetrick.

“All we’re trying to do is build a championship team. That means us coaching our butts off. What we do as coaches, only one thing matters, and that’s getting better as a team. I never think about the next thing. When you’re enjoying it every day, the only thing that matters is that we win. If we win, everyone is happy. It’s a fun process.” – Philadelphia Eagles’ Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich.

“That’s critical. You can have the nine best players in the league on a team and that doesn’t guarantee you’re going to win baseball games. You’ve got find that right mix. We had a lot of good leaders on our team, and they were instrumental in keeping everyone together. Most of the guys on our team do other stuff together. They’re like brothers. They squabble a little bit, but at the end of the day, they’ve got each other’s backs. It’s not good to have a team that’s older-laden or younger-laden. It’s good to have a mix.” – Fredericksburg American Legion Baseball head coach Tim Schaeffer.

“Why wouldn’t you be pulling for Derek?. He’s the first player from Lebanon County to reach the major leagues in 70 years. I think it’s great. It’s the way it should be. It’s a good thing. It’s good for Goosetown. It’s good for Cedar Crest High School. It’s good for the University of Virginia. It’s good for all of Lebanon County. You can see his maturity. It’s all blossoming. It’s not an easy thing to do. He hit the weights the last couple of years, and it’s paying off. It’s tough.” – Lebanon County’s Mr. Baseball, Lyle Krall on Houston Astros’ outfielder Derek Fisher. 

“I have multiple things going on when things are going good,” said Hess. “I love to focus on event by event. I like to break it down in my head. I like to pray before I run. I like to get comfort in that I have been blessed with this gift. And I like to share it with everyone who’s watching. It’s crazy. Personally, I take it meet by meet. But I haven’t really reflected on it (her career). I focus more on times when I didn’t do as well. It’s my mentality. I see more of the flaws.” – Annville-Cleona Senior Sprinter Reagan Hess.

“Most of them are half-assed. Before the draft, they (NFL teams) go dumpster diving. I said ‘No’ to some pretty low offers. Low offers for putting your body out there. We’ll see where it goes. I’d like to play, if I know the trade-off with football is fair for my worth. I think sometimes people are confused. I can have my own decision-making, and it’s based on things that have come before me.” – Lebanon professional football player Jared Odrick. 

“The reason I first got it was because my brother did, and I thought it was cool. It’s my favorite hairstyle. I like the way I look with it and people tell me I look good with it. I’d say I’m a pretty individual person. I’m unique in different ways. I believe it’s important to have God at the center of my life. That drives some of the things I do. It also gives me some confidence.” – Cedar Crest Senior Distance Runner Jesse Cruise, on his trademark Mohawk hairstyle.

“I would prefer them staying in the league, with the hope that at some point in time, they can improve their numbers. It’s unfortunate. I’m happy for the girls’ basketball team and what it was able to accomplish. It’s an identity for that school. I have no desire at all for them to leave the Lancaster-Lebanon League. I’d like to see them increase their enrollment and become more competitive in the sports they have.” – Lancaster-Lebanon League Executive Director Dick Balderston on Lebanon Catholic.

“To be honest, I think everybody has handled it very well. I was upset I was pregnant because I wasn’t going to be able to play. But I know when I have this baby, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I found out when I was five weeks, in the beginning of October. I didn’t believe it. I started crying. I was scared to tell my mom, but I think I was more scared to tell Mrs. (Patti) Hower. My mom cried and was scared because of me being as young as I am and being in Catholic school. Coach Hower didn’t know what to say.” – Lebanon Catholic junior guard Mariah Sholly.

“I’ve lived with multiple (host) families since I was 15. I don’t know who they are. I’m trusting them. It’s helped me grow up. I’ve had to become independent. Basically, I’m doing everything on my own. I’ve grown up so fast because of that. I’m more mature. I’m ready for bigger and better things in life. Moving away from my parents when I was 15 was not easy. It’s one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I’d like to thank my parents for everything. If it wasn’t for them letting me move away – the time, the money – I wouldn’t be where I am today. They wanted me to succeed.” – Annville native and aspiring professional hockey player Jordan Seyfert.

“When Mary took over she asked if I would share my responsibilities with her father (John Kernat). I really enjoy working with him. I think I do an even more thorough job. I think the stats are even more accurate. All of our stats are fed to Mary’s husband, and he puts them on a spread sheet. They (Manlove and Berman) have two different coaching styles, but both are hard workers. Mary is constantly asking us, ‘What’s important? Who’s doing well?’ Ron didn’t want instantaneous feedback. He wanted it for future game plans. I thought it would be tough to follow Ron, but she knows what she’s doing. She’s very, very solid.” – Palmyra Girls’ Basketball Statistician Mack Copeland.

“We started out hot. Some of it was we were playing well and some of it was we were playing teams which weren’t playing as well. That’s how this league is. You’ve got find ways to more games than you lose. Seven-and-nine is not good enough. You’ve got to find ways to win enough games and get into the playoffs.” – Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator and Cedar Crest grad Frank Reich, on the 2016 season.

“He’s my point guard. He’s expected to do a lot. I’m hard on him. But he does his best and gives me everything I ask for. He’s also gained the respect of his teammates. I think a lot of people would call him a glue guy. He holds us together. He’s one of our best defenders, if not our best defender. He can play the other team’s best guard or a post player. He’s just a good fit for what we have right now.” – Lebanon Boys’ Basketball Coach Tim Speraw, on junior point guard Luis Aquino-Rios.

“It’s funny. Zoe leads in her way and Brandt leads in her way. But they both get people to follow them. Zoe’s kind of like, ‘Watch me. I’m not afraid of anything’. Brandt is a leader with the cerebral part of it. She’s coaching on the floor. They both make such an impact in their own ways.

“Most people consider Zoe the leader because she has the ball, but I don’t think the team has felt like that in a long time. The team has known both leaders for a long time. Zoe wants to get Brandt the ball because she knows she’s going to score. And Brandt wants Zoe slashing through the lane because she knows she’s going to get her the ball. The point guard always gets the eyes. But the other kids know there’s equal weight being lifted. There’s two different roles, but neither is more important than the other.” – Northern Lebanon Girls’ Basketball Coach Ken Battistelli.

“They’ve been really solid as players the last two-plus years. Ariel is, without a doubt, the best player I’ve ever coached, and there’s been some decent players through here. She’s the most talented, most skilled player I’ve ever had. She’s the kind of kid you want on your team. Respectful. Hard working.

“Alyssa has great feet. She’s athletic. She rebounds, blocks shots, scores. She’s the best post player I’ve ever coached. They’re looking to go out on a high note. Those two, when all is said and done, they’re going to have a lot of wins here at Cedar Crest. They’re both very skilled. One is a post player and one is a point guard. And it’s not just them. We have complimentary players who can do things as well. Last year, we had a lot of people contribute.” – Cedar Crest Girls’ Basketball Coach Jim Donmoyer.

“There have been a wide range of successes at the next level. We’ve had all-Americans. We’ve had national champions. We’ve had conference champions. We’ve had some transfer. We’ve had some stop playing. But all have developed a love of the game through our program.

“We’ve been able to develop a family atmosphere throughout the program, and some have been able to find it on the next level. You just have a different mentality and different kinds of kids. I’m very proud they had such a good experience in high school. I tell them, ‘You’ve got to make sure this is what you want to do. You’ve truly got to want to be there everyday.'” – Palmyra Field Hockey Coach Kristi Costello, on her program’s success of sending players on to college.

“It’s unique in that there are some guys participating who love baseball, but never played. It brings them back to their youths, I guess. They swap stories. It’s a unique reunion. I like to see new people coming, new generations coming. We have three-generations of families. And I like the statistical aspect of it. Over the years, 599 different males have participated and 60 different females. It’s always nice to see new faces. But I will tell you, it’s a lot of work.” – Coleman Memorial Park Hitting Contest Founder and Organizer Karl ‘Skip’ Wolf.

“Lebanon has just recently become higher on our radar. We find people from Lebanon enjoy coming to Lancaster Barnstormer games. We’ve been in touch with more businesses in Lebanon. Lebanon is our neighbor and a big part of what we plan for the future. First and foremost, we have to figure out why people in Lebanon come down here. I think we get overlooked. We have shown we can put on a quality show, and that it’s quality baseball. If we can get them to come down here, we’re confident we can get them to come back. The biggest thing is getting the word out.” – Lancaster Barnstormers’ Executive John Brennan.

“For me, ‘making it’ is being happy and enjoying everything I’m doing. If you would’ve told me I’d be on ‘The Voice’, ‘The Blind’ and open for Dylan Scott at the Lebanon Area Fair, I wouldn’t have believed that. If the definition is being in awe of where you’re at, then yes, I’ve made it. I’m happy where I’m at. Of course I want to improve and get better. I’m blessed to be at the spot where I’m at. I feel like a lot of people put pressure on artists. ‘Making it’ is such a broad term that’s thrown around.” – Former Palmyra runner turned singer/songwriter, Olivia Farabaugh.

“I think the Lebanon market is extremely important. We work with a lot of groups in Lebanon. It’s an interesting area because it falls between Hershey and Harrisburg. It’s not that far away. It’s a straight shot down 422. You guys have always been in our market. But over the last five years, we’ve made a more concerted effort to include Lebanon fans. I love talking Phillies in Lebanon. We try to reach out to anyone within an hour of Reading. It would include Lebanon. It would include Lancaster. All the way down the Route 422 corridor toward Philly. It is a community meeting point. But that hour-radius has become our bread and butter.” – Reading Fightin Phils Director of Public Relations and Media Relations Eric Scarcella.

“He’s got that speed-power combo you’re looking for in a player. He is a fun athlete to watch.He’s developing his skills right now. All players need to continue to refine their games. He just needs game reps. He’s got good baseball skills. It’s about having it all to become a complete player.” – Houston Astros Director of Minor League Baseball Operations, on Cedar Crest product Derek Fisher.

“This is the NFL. It’s a tough business. I was confident and hopeful I would get another opportunity, another job. We had a bad year in San Diego.That’s the way it is in the NFL. Heads are going to roll. So you move on. With the passing game, I think people around the league knew what we were doing. But what made it exciting for me was connecting with Doug (Pederson).

“In this business, like most businesses, it’s about who you work with. Doug is a class act, through and through. I’ve always know that, but working with him on a daily basis has just reinforced that. I have a lot of respect for this organization, from the top down. Another element is being back home. Unfortunately for me, I’m a little bit late. It would’ve been a dream of mine to be in Philadelphia when my parents were still here. But it’s been great. We’re an hour and ten minutes, door to door, from where we live to Lebanon.” – Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator and Lebanon native Frank Reich.

“I’m the guy who puts it all together. I’m the organizer. I call the shots. I deal with all the stress, all the last-minute decisions. Fourteen years into the business, I prefer being a booker because it’s a lot less painful. Taking care of business is a lot easier than getting beat up. You saw me get hit with a chair tonight, and that was a real steel chair.

Smasher and Chris are two different people,” continued Sechrist. “My character is from Baton Rouge. Smasher LeBlanc was developed on April 20, 2002, during my first match in Red Lion, PA. He’s a hybrid of a biker and a guy at the end of the bar you don’t want to talk to. But he’s a fan favorite because everyone can relate to him. I’m known for my brawling style. I take no B.S.” – Mega Force Professional Wrestling Booker Christian Sechrist.

“Too much. The least we’ve ever paid has probably been double. This year we paid too much, but it was five together, down low. I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. This is my hobby, going to sporting events. I have three scalpers I deal with. But you’ve got to be careful. You better know who you are dealing with.” – Cornwall sports enthusiast Billy Carpenter, on scalping tickets at the Final Four.

“I love working with student-athletes, and coaching them. Mentoring them. I’m still going to stay involved with coaching. I enjoy that part tremendously. But at the same time, I felt I coached less this season. There were certain things going on externally that took away the enjoyment. With any position, no matter how much you enjoy it, there’s going to be negatives I definitely wouldn’t say I had any less passion than I did 13 years ago. I still have the passion, but I have other passions I want to dive into. There’s other things around it that are starting to shine brightly.” – Ben Brewer, on his resignation as the Head Girls’ Basketball Coach at Lebanon High.

“As of today, I have resigned. Am I actively seeking another job? Absolutely not. My goal for 2016 is to be a heck of a basketball fan and a heck of a football fan. Life’s short. If 2017 comes around and I’m not miserable… I don’t ever want to say never. But I can’t picture myself coaching anywhere besides Palmyra.

“I loved coaching. Absolutley. In the last week, it’s been very emotional for my wife and I. But it’s been more tears of joy. I’ve gotten hundreds of emails, phone calls, messages, presents from former players and parents about the things we accomplished in their lives. I always believed we’re here to make a difference. I loved every minute of it. I always believed I was a role model.” – Palmyra Girls’ Basketball Coach Ron Berman on his resignation.

“There’s been two commissioners associated with Lebanon Valley. When my predecessor got the job, she lived in Hummelstown, and she requested the office to be moved here. It’s generally located in a central place, and look at the roads around us – the turnpike, (Routes) 81, 80, 78. I would argue it’s in a good place. If I left tomorrow, it might be harder to attract another commissioner. When I leave the conference, they might consider another host college.” – Middle Atlantic Conference Executive Director Ken Andrews, on his office’s place in the Annville community.

“It does matter. It stinks not seeing our names on a banner. But I believe we’re the best team in Elco history. The whole postseason has been a great ride. It’s special for me and Caleb (Buchmoyer). We’ve seen the program turn around. I told Coach (Brad) Conners that we were going to get him one (season) like this. This whole team has just been real special for me. There’s a couple of games we didn’t show up. McCaskey, and I wish we could’ve pulled out one of those Lampeter-Strasburg games. It just seems that solid reward hasn’t come our way. You want to hold that trophy, or piece of net. But I just look back at the great time I’ve had with these guys.” – Elco forward Colton Lawrence on his senior basketball season.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of the Hershey Bears hockey club. Our fan base has been exceptional. The support we get from the community, the corporation, the town has been overwhelming. But it’s their success, not my success. I look back with gratefulness daily. I love what I’m doing. When I look back at the people I’ve met, I feel so fortunate. I’m not sure why I was given this opportunity.” – Hershey Bears President/General Manager and Palmyra native Doug Yingst, upon his retirement.

“The standard is obviously raised for the basketball program. We’re expected to win. The bar’s raised for our program. We need to give as much as we have every time out there because we have more people watching us. Friday night, on the court, at Lebanon High School. Where else would you rather be? At times it bothers me because I hear people say we’re a basketball school. That’s when I’d like for the other programs to have more success. We have to get more kids out for sports. We need to make more two- and three-sport athletes. I think that would help with the success across the board.” – Lebanon Boys’ Basketball Coach Tim Speraw.

“I think what’s happened, the whole idea of concussions as a concern was downplayed for a long time. To take a concussion seriously is absolutely the right thing to do. I think there’s been a lot of progress made in this area. Where I think we’ve gone way over the line is to think that if you play football, at the age of 60, you’re destined to have dementia. That it’s inevitable. You hear those crazy things.

“There’s no more crisis in concussions now than there was 30 years ago. Just the opposite. I do worry that we have a health crisis in this country, and it’s childhood obesity. I think the message is: Concussions need to be taken seriously. Right now, the best data out there suggests that playing contact sports does not increase your likelihood of dementia later on.” – Penn State Milton Hershey Medical Center Neuroscience Director Dr. Robert Harbaugh.

“Probably the last two or three years, I’ve thought about it, but I wasn’t ready. This preseason I told my staff I was leaning that way. During preseason camp, I felt I was ready. There was a lot behind it. Yeah, it was a hard decision. I love the school. It has my heart, and always will. I will do everything and anything I can to promote that school. These young men have been great. I had the counsel of some good friends, and one said, ‘Don’t do it too long’. I still have my health, and my wife still has her health. But you never know. It was time.

“To be honest, I didn’t give it much thought at practices or games, until the end. That last game I walked out on to the field and it was like, ‘Really?. This is going to be my last home game?’ The last practice got me. After 44 years, I’m not sure what is going to happen. It’s going to be something, I just don’t know what. It was pretty emotional. When it came time to tell the team after the Albright game, I really struggled to get through that.” – Lebanon Valley Head Football Coach Jim Monos on his retirement after the 2015 season.

“When you look back, time goes by so fast. You’ve got to cherish all the time you have. The more you can get yourself involved in, it’s going to create memories. When you look back on things like sports, you don’t remember final scores. You look back at things like practices and the funny things that happened at them. That’s what a big part of school is. You have that social aspect. Maybe it’s just networking, but it helps students grow.” – Annville-Cleona Athletic Director Tommy Long.

“Sports are an important part of life. I think most of us have a competitive nature. We love the thrill of sports. For a lot of our athletes, they don’t have things like this. It’s a physical program for them. It’s a social program for them. And it’s free. I’ve got to pay to go to a gym. It’s something they can own. They’re very proud of their accomplishments. The physical aspect of sports is good for any body. Special Olympics offers athletes competition. It gives them physical fitness and joy. It’s highly therapeutic. Depression is out there. They’re so proud. They look forward to it. It’s definitely one of the most important things to some of them.” – Lebanon County Special Olympics Manager Joan Sechrist.

“Rob (head coach, Wildasin) is doing a great job. I told everybody when he was hired that these guys are going to get it turned around. I think a lot of Rob as a person. I like the whole approach. I’ve been to a few workouts, and they’ve asked me to come around more. I’ve been to about three games, and I’m very aware of the position they’re in, and it’s exciting. I love going to the games. It’s neat to see how excited the guys are. That’s awesome. That’s what they need. That (qualifying for districts) would make me so happy. I’ve been rooting for that program since I’ve been out. Things just haven’t happened for them.” – Former Cedar Crest Head Football Coach Gene ‘Spike’ Fuhrman, on the Falcons’ drive to the District Three Class AAAA playoffs.

“They’re teachers of the game. You get all kinds of guys.  But if you have guys who scream and holler all the time, they don’t know how to teach. I learned that at a young age, as an assistant coach. We have that combination with seasoned guys, and bringing young guys into the fold. Disagreements that occur, occur behind closed doors, and when we come out, we’re on the same page. Every year we sit down and talk about that. I don’t see everything. There may be things going on that I’m not aware of. But their connections with players, they get to know them as human beings. Players don’t care how much you know. They want to know how much you care.” – Lebanon Valley College Head Football Coach Jim Monos, on his assistant staff.

“I think it is a great accomplishment, being the top in Lebanon County and being one of the top six in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. I was excited when I got it. But I just wanted to get going with the game. I think sometime during last season, someone brought it up to me. I kind of knew about it over the off season. I didn’t say too much about it. But I knew it was there.” – Elco senior quarterback Jeff Martin, on becoming Lebanon County’s career leader in passing yardage.

“On a college football team, there is a sense of seniority. But no matter what age you are, you can be a leader. People respect hard work. I just need to be a little more vocal. I don’t think it matters about age I speak up as much as I always have. There’s definitely not a sense of not speaking up. If someone criticizes you, you take it and learn from  it. It’s nothing personal. It’s all about improving for the team.” – Bucknell University linebacker and Lebanon High graduate Mark Pyles, on leadership.

“I don’t really talk on the field. But I’ll always show up. The only talking I’ll do is if I know someone from the other team from another sport, and then I’ll ask how they’re doing. If it’s trash talk, it’s not worth my while. I just like to go out there and do work. I’m not outspoken. But if I’m around our guys and I get excited, I can get loud. I’m a strong, silent leader. I don’t like to talk about myself. I don’t like to say I’m this or that. It doesn’t match up to what’s going on.” – Soft-spoken Northern Lebanon lineman Matt Vines.

“I would say ‘yes’, it is my calling. But if I wouldn’t be coaching football, I’d be teaching math somewhere. It’s more the education part of it. And there’s no doubt it comes back to my parents. This is what we do. As kids, we saw them teaching growing up. They were great educators. I remember sitting in (then CCHS guidance counselor) Dennis Tulli’s office, and I decided that’s what I want to be. I have not wavered from that decision since.

“I’m still me. At the beginning of my coaching career, I was all over the players screaming at them and yelling at them. Over the years, I’ve learned to use that when necessary. But I’m a teacher. I don’t want to say I’ve mellowed over the years. I’m more judicious when I yell. I remember telling my brother when he was a player that I didn’t think I was a very good counselor. That’s 40 percent of what I do. People bring you their problems, and some are very serious and life-altering. We have a lot more than you would think. You’ve got to be able to sit and talk and ask questions. We’re not counselors by trade, but we need to know the signs. Sometimes kids just need someone to talk to.” – Wingate Unversity head football coach and Cedar Crest graduate Joe Reich.

“It was fast, tight and fun. It felt amazing. I wish I could do it again. I was just getting used to it. I know how to drive, but that was the greatest feeling clutch I ever felt. I just barely touched the gas, and I took off. It felt like a lot of power. I probably had too much courage for what I knew. The only thing I’ve ever been in that was that fast was the plane I was in 30 minutes before I came. It was darn close.” – Northern Lebanon senior Justin Nicarry on driving Lebanon County racer Bobby Gerhart’s car.

“Physical activity is integral to their health and development. According to projections, 30 percent of Lebanon County is diabetic or pre-diabetic. Roughly, 80 percent of diabetes is preventable with diet and exercise. These kids are developing good exercise habits that can lead to other activities later in life. It’s absolutely positive. It’s positive for everyone. From the Y’s standpoint, to serve the community, it doesn’t cost kids a dime. They have to wear a helmet and have to have a parent-signed waiver. It gives them an outlet. The kids have a place to come. It’s great interaction. As an adult, I can go out there and the kids will listen to me. It’s a positive experience.” – Lebanon Family YMCA Director of Operations Darin Pickles, on the facility’s skate park.

“It’s a great venue for tennis, for sports. This is kind of the only big tournament left in the county. And Gretna is a great place to get away. It’s old friends getting together. It’s people reminiscing about tennis. It’s people meeting each other and connecting over tennis. It’s everything good about sports, in a beautiful social setting. This year it was stronger than ever. We were basically maxed out (with 48 singles players and 22 doubles teams). I can remember during the early to mid 80s when there were crowds of hundreds out here. It’s a team effort. The courts are playing great. The grounds were redone. A lot of high school kids have been re-introduced to Gretna, and they keep coming back. And younger players like Jack Muraika want to be a part of it.” – Mount Gretna Tennis Club Tournament Director Mike Rohrbach.

“Horses are loyal, honest and complex. Some might say they’re kind of crazy. They’re challenging. They smell good. They’re soft and they’re fluffy. They’re intelligent. They’re willing to please. They’re more like cats then they are like dogs. They’re absolutely beautiful. They love to move. They love to play. They like to have a job. They like to work. They don’t like to stand around and do nothing The relationship between man and horses is ancient. We’ve been doing it since the beginning of time. It’s the same as with any pet. They’re like your kids. You pay your vet bill before you go to the doctor yourself. People will always tell you that horses have a way of mind reading. If you’re upset, your horse will know you’re upset. If you’re happy, your horse will know you’re happy.” – Quentin Riding Club Horse-Show Official Donali Livinghouse.

“I’m happy with the year. Happy with the effort. We competed in these games. We didn’t roll over. I can’t complain about anything. In the big picture, getting here is what matters, and playing our best baseball when it matters. I think we were getting a little tired, and it showed in these last two games. At the beginning of the season, I thought we had a shot to get to regionals. I thought we had a chance. During the regular season, we went 7-8 and we lost five games by one run. That’s the difference between 12-3 and 7-8. I knew we had a shot if we could get some breaks. To go on the streak we went on in the playoffs, I’ll take that any time. I knew we just had to play at the right time, and we did.” – Myerstown American Legion Baseball Coach Johnny Mentzer, following his team’s summer-ending loss to Linglestown at the Region Four tournament at Ephrata’s War Memorial Field.

“You kind of get into a zone. But you don’t keep track. If you do, you press. My philosophy is: ‘Just go out and hit it. Just play’. You do get in the zone. It’s hard to explain. It was relaxing. That’s when you play your best round. We just had a bunch of guys. We were playing a money match. When you play your best golf, more than likely it’s a recreational round. The company is what makes the round. We were laughing and giggling and carrying on.” – Local Amateur Player Brian Auman, on his two Lebanon County golf course records.

“I set personal goals every year. One of my goals is to make them more real. Write them down, go over them and read them. By making things more real, you’re developing your vision. I could always see that I was going to do something, like playing a professional sport. I want to feel like I’m a contributing factor. A game-changer. I want people to single me out on film. I want to be the guy who has to be blocked. I want to be the player who has to be double-teamed. I want to make a Pro Bowl. As long as I continue to find success, and am able to achieve personal goals and contribute my talents to the team, it will make me happy.”  – Jacksonville Jaguar Defensive Tackle and Lebanon High graduate Jared Odrick.

“I had a kid leave a game one time so he could tell his parents to get him more seeds. Now they sell them at concession stands. It’s just something to do. You want to be like people you watch play. I’m just glad they got away from tobacco. If you think about it: What’s the purpose? You’re eating it. But it’s not going to fill you up.” – Fifth Ward American Legion Baseball Coach Tony McDonnell on the proliferation of seed chewing in the Lebanon County League.

“There’s no question things went my way. I played solid, but I got some breaks. Was it meant to be today? I’m not sure. But I play a lot of golf, and whoever wins, they might get a good bounce here or there. I’ve got two (County Amateurs) and I’m pretty excited about that. It sort of does validate it a little more.” – 2015 Lebanon County Amateur Golf Champion Jim Gardner.

“It’s absolutely beautiful. I don’t think people understand what kind of a hidden gem they have just north of them. I’m not sure why. But I think the secret is getting out. There’s no camping, but you do have something for everyone. You have the locks for history buffs, and there’s a lot of native-american history here. There’s the water. And whether you like mountain-biking or the old ten-speed, there’s lots of trails. If you want to get back to basics and how Pennsylvania started, this is the place to be. You’re always engulfed in the resource. We care for it, and our visitors care for it too.” – Swatara State Park Ranger and Manager Corey Snyder.

“At this point, I am aware of what happened. When I first applied, I wasn’t. When things started, I didn’t know about it. I knew at some point that I was going to go back on the boys’ side of coaching. It felt like the opportunity was really good. As I started to go through the process, I talked to Gary, and he’s been amazingly helpful. I was filled in on how things went. In an odd way, we’ve got to take two approaches. You’ve got to forget about it and move forward. But you’ve also got to live in the realistic world. A lot of kids who played for Gary are still there. They had good relationships with Gary. This is still going to be Gary’s team for a while. But it’s Northern Lebanon. The kids are tough as nails, just like Gary was when he played.” – New Northern Lebanon Boys’ Basketball Coach Chris George on being hired for the position Gary Bouchette was fired from.

“For me, it has nothing to do with, ‘Hey, I’m here, Look at me’. A stature thing. This town raised me. My father died young. There are youth coaches from Annville who guided me. I always felt if I got a chance that I’d want to give back to my town. My town gave me so much. I love being home. I love being on the Quitty. I want to help kids the way I was helped. For me, having been at different schools, I think the program is perceived generally well. One quote I heard was, ‘Yeah, it’s a small school, so you’re never sure what you’re going to get.’ But I want the perception to be that it’s a great football program. But this program is not about me. It’s about the other coaches and the kids.” – New Annville-Cleona Football Coach Matt Gingrich.

“It’s really special to have been here three years. We had a really good day. We got a medal, we P.R.ed and we got a school record. With our time, everyone had really good splits. We couldn’t be happier. But that’s why it’s so disappointing to see it end. We’re never going to be able to play high school sports again. Going from high school to college is going to be so different.” – Palmyra senior Katie Dembrowski on ending her stellar scholastic career at the PIAA Track and Field Championships.

“I still don’t care what people think of me. You’re allowed your opinion. It is what it is. I wasn’t snobbish. Even if I didn’t like you, I’d still try to get along with you. I never made a decision in coaching that I knew was the wrong decision. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t make wrong decisions. It’s the kids and staff that I will miss the most. Everybody says ‘the game’, but we have great kids at Annville-Cleona. It’s hard work, but it’s fun. The good kids at Annville-Cleona, that’s pretty much what I’ll miss.” – Annville-Cleona Football Coach Terry Lehman.

“It’s one of the worst, if not ‘the’ worst ever. I probably take it harder than the kids, because I’m not sure the kids know about the tradition and the success of the program. I would say ‘frustration’ would be a good word, because I think we have more talent than three wins. We’ve experienced a lot of inconsistencies. Some days we see positives with the pitching, and that day the defense doesn’t do well. You think they (his players) can do a better job, and it doesn’t show up on the field.” – Cedar Crest baseball coach Ryan White on the Falcons’ 2015 season.

“That’s accurate. We have arrangements with Hershey (High) and Lower Dauphin where we absorb the expenses of those events. With District Three events, we have standard rates, but we certainly have special arrangements with them. As part of trying to give back, we work with the community. But we always have proper staff and make sure we deliver on our promise. Many times, we’ll do everything we can to work with them. It’s a fine balance. We are a for-profit business. Our goal is to give back to the Hershey Foundation. There’s some events where we don’t make a profit to honor that commitment. For student-athletes to have an opportunity to make it to Hershey, to have them being excited about getting to Hershey, it’s about creating sweet moments. To hear about kids throwing (Hershey) kisses on the floor because they made it to Hershey, that means a lot to us.” – Hershey Entertainment and Resorts official Vikki Hultquist.

“All of those are very important. The first thing I recognized about the Jaguars was how they viewed their franchise, how their fans viewed the franchise. Jacksonville is a city on the rise. It feels that way. How it feels about its players. It’s a different approach to football. It’s a different approach to their team. It’s a different approach to living. The outcome is enjoyable. The process is nothing but decision making. My agent and I looked at it like: ‘You’re good at your job and people want that.'” – Jacksonville Jaguar defensive lineman Jared Odrick, on NFL free agency.

“When they were freshmen and I was a first-year coach, Cedar Crest basketball was irrelevant. My first year was an awful season. They’ve been where I’ve been. It was nice last year to turn it around. I will always remember these kids as being the group that turned Cedar Crest basketball around. They were 52-28 in three years. They’re the first team I had win a state playoff game, get to Giant Center, win the Lancaster-Lebanon league and had a 14-game win streak. Tonight their time ends. My time with them ends. I’ll remember this class for that. After the game in the locker room I told them I’m proud of the season they put together. They didn’t give up on me or each other. There’s no shame in what we did this year.” – Cedar Crest girls’ basketball coach Jim Donmoyer, following a 2014-15 season-ending loss in the second round of states.

“There’s always tears in the locker room after a final game. Eight of the 11 girls in there are freshmen. Now that we’ve got a taste of it, hopefully it’s going to make us work harder. We have exceeded our expectations. We’ve come a long way. We improved tremendously.” – Lebanon Catholic girls’ basketball coach Patti Hower, following the conclusion of the Beavers’ 2014-15 rebirth season.

“It’s sad to see it come to an end because it’s been such a privilege to be around this team. Their attitudes, their work ethic, their willingness to do whatever we ask has made them a joy to coach. They’ve done a great job of setting the bar and expectations for the future. That’s the legacy they left behind.” – Northern Lebanon wrestling coach Rusty Wallace on his team’s 2014-15 campaign, the best team season in Lebanon County team history.

“I was offered the position back. Go figure! It’s a tough one. It’s that ‘trust’ word. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m not sure. I don’t know what the deal is. Why am I good enough to coach one day, and the next day I’m not?” – Northern Lebanon boys’ basketball coach Gary Bouchette, on being offered the same coaching position he had been fired from five days earlier.

“It’s a tradition we feel like we have to live up to. We feel like we’re in our element. We feel comfortable playing against schools our size. Every group is special. Every player who goes through Lebanon Catholic, I want them to get to Giant Center or Hersheypark Arena and experience this. I know we’re young, but I thought the freshman exhibited a sense of urgency when the district tournament started. Now they know what it’s like. They won this as freshmen.

It’s always our goal. Midway through the season, you start looking at other Class A scores. I thought it would come down to the four seeds. This season has been great because we didn’t lose to anyone we should’ve beaten. We beat the teams we should’ve beat. I thought that was going to help us somewhere.” – Lebanon Catholic girls’ basketball coach Patti Hower, on the Beavers’ 2014-15 District Three Class A championship, the 17th in program history.

“I said to Jim (Cedar Crest coach, Donmoyer) before the game that they really put their pieces together. Winning the Lancaster-Lebanon League was a tremendous achievement. Their team was very strong. Now you’ve got two great teams going on to states. It’s great for county basketball. It’s been a great season for Lebanon County basketball. I’m really proud of all the county teams and the coaches.” – Palmyra girls’ basketball coach Ron Berman on his club’s historic meeting with Cedar Crest in the semifinals of the District Three Class AAAA playoffs.

“I said to him (Palmyra coach Ron Berman) before the game that we want to have them (the Cougars) on our schedule. It’s two county teams. Two county teams in the district semis and two of the top-ranked (Class AAAA) teams in the state. You just like playing county teams. It’s something we want to do all the time.” – Cedar Crest girls’ basketball coach Jim Donmoyer on his program’s historic meeting with Palmyra in the semifinals of the District Three Class AAAA postseason.

“I think this will help them enormously in the future, I think it’ll put the fire in their bellies. But I don’t want to think about that right now. I’m just enjoyed in this season so much.This team has been super-duper to coach. I told them (his players) when we were preparing for this game it was more because I didn’t want my time with them to end more than I wanted to win, and I’m a very competitive person. They’re really good kids. I’m ready to play another game right now.” – Northern Lebanon girls’ basketball coach Ken Battistelli, after a 2014-15 season-ending loss to West Perry, in the opening round of the District Three Class AAA playoffs.

“Yeah, I totally believe so. This team improved by seven wins. That’s pretty much unheard of, especially in our conference. We talk about being process-oriented, in terms of results and getting better. We have some guys who can pave the ground for next year. It’s up to them how hard they want to work. We had a spell during the season when we won eight of nine games. But even when we went so-called ‘cold’ we were playing (Susquehanna) Township, McDevitt and Cedar Cliff. These guys grew by leaps and bounds. They grew as much as any team I’ve ever had. And we had some good wins along the way.” – Palmyra boys’ basketball coach Pete Conrad, following a District Three Class AAA opening-round loss to Bishop McDevitt that ended the Cougars’ 2014-15 campaign.

“I’ll trade a section championship for this any day. This is the biggest thing these kids have won in two years. I didn’t want them to come away empty handed. They’ve got a Lancaster-Lebanon championship. They’ve got a trophy. They’ve got nets. The effort was awesome. I used it (last year’s L-L title tilt as motivation) before we came out of the locker room,” Donmoyer continued. “I understand what it feels like to lose this game. I made them (his players) watch Manheim Township cut down the nets last year. It’s what it’s about. It’s redemption.” – Cedar Crest girls’ basketball coach Jim Donmoyer on winning the 2014-15 Lancaster-Lebanon League Championship, his program’s seventh overall.

“They don’t back down. If they get pushed, they’ll push back. But I don’t see much competitiveness between them. I do believe there’s a connection between them, on and off the court. If you’re with someone 24/7 for 17 years, it’s normal to look for each other. They know where they’re going to be.”  – Cedar Crest girls’ basketball coach Jim Donmoyer on twin senior guards, Emmi and Nikki Wagner.

“It’s hard to describe how you can enjoy coaching. You don’t really enjoy it while you’re doing it. It’s when it’s over that you can reflect, and you can enjoy it astronomically. The kids are all special. When kids come to you after they have graduated and give you a hug, it’s so fulfilling. The fulfillment at certain moments is overwhelming. Something that special makes your heart grow.” – Northern Lebanon girls’ basketball coach Kenny Battistelli.

“It is important to us. I was lucky enough to be on the (19)94 team that went undefeated. We’ve won two section titles in-a-row, and these guys have the ability to sustain it. But our goal is not only to be the best wrestling team in school history, but the best sports team of any kind at Northern Lebanon. And there’s been some very good teams at our school. But these guys are expecting to win. It’s important to them.” – Northern Lebanon wrestling coach Rusty Wallace, on his program’s 2014-15 squad’s place in school history.

“I can tell you I don’t sit there and say people are going to get certain minutes, It’s a feel for the game. Obviously, I know from game to game if people aren’t getting their time. As a coach, you always worry a little about getting playing time, being happy, being productive, feeling a part of the team. I was running in nine players today. As long as the kids buy into it, it works. On any given day, someone is going to lead us in scoring. It’s going to be someone different a lot of the times. You’ve got to accept it. You’ve got to be mature about it.” – Cedar Crest girls’ basketball coach Jim Donmoyer, on juggling a deep bench.

“They’ve definitely rejuvenated my coaching. There’s a lot more teaching going on, and I like that part of it. It’s a nice group of girls to work with. I like coming to practice because of their attitude. I really enjoy this group. If this group of freshmen wasn’t so easy to work with, my career might be coming to a close. But I want to see this group through.” – Lebanon Catholic girls’ basketball coach Patti Hower on the Beavers’ eight-member class of 2018.

“It was a weird season. We had some unbelievable losses. In some of those losses we played better than we did tonight. The bottom line was we had to get a win tonight. This was huge. The majority of these kids played last year. We only had four or five seniors last year. Their expectations were much higher. For them, to get that win tonight, it was important to go out on a positive note.” – Lebanon Football Coach Gerry Yonchiuk on a season-ending victory over Elizabethtown.

“Yeah, I think they kind of feel people think we’re not going to be good because Mark (Pyles) graduated. They kind of look at it like, ‘Hey, we were a part of that deal. Now this is our senior year.’ I think they use that as a motivation. But they know they have to do it on their own.” – Lebanon Football Coach Gerry Yonchiuk on his program’s prospects for the 2014 season.

“We have worked on this car for one year to get ready for the race. For this to be taken away, he (ARCA president Ron Drager) has no idea of the ripple effect it has on me, my team and my career. It taints what we’ve done for years. It’s on him. It’s not on me. I’ll never, ever, ever, ever forgive the series, or him (Drager) for his actions, and his actions after the race. The sport is changing. I can’t say it’s a good thing for he and ARCA to be manipulated by big money.” – Lebanon stock-car racer Bobby Gerhart, after having his pole-winning qualifying time at Daytona disqualified.

“Obviously there’s more ways to judge success than winning. But at the end of the day that’s what we’re here for, winning. I can sleep at night if I had players prepared and ready, and they were in the right positions. But sometimes the other team is better. There will not be anyone who puts more pressure on me than me. If you have any questions you can call me at 3 a.m., and I’ll be up watching film.” – New Cedar Crest head football coach Rob Wildasin.

“It’s exciting. And you’re getting a ton of responsibility. We have to learn to be responsible. But we also have to learn how to not be weighed down with our responsibilities.”  – Cedar Crest senior soccer star Gabby Boehmer, on the new challenges college present.

“Without a question, it is my mom and dad. Everyone else is a distant second. My mom and dad (Pat and Frank Reich, Sr.) had such a huge impact on how I go about my work. What I’ve been able to accomplish, it’s a reflection of the things instilled in me. But I’ve had great experiences at every level. I had great coaches everywhere I went. I never felt like I had a bad coach on any level.

“Being out on the West Coach, it gets a little bit harder to get back to Lebanon. I try to get back a couple of times a year to see my father and my in-laws. And when I do, I go hang out at Fairview golf course. That’s what I do. But I try to get back two, three, four times a year.” – San Diego Charger Offensive Coordinator and Lebanon native Frank Reich.

“It’s a great opportunity for our kids. We were talking on the bus ride over here, to see these kids and how far they came solely on their hard work, it makes me really, really proud of them. These kids can be really phenomenal over the next several years.” – Northern Lebanon wrestling coach Rusty Wallace after his Vikes reached the semifinals of the District Three Class AA team tournament.

“It was definitely my biggest win. I was always a consy wrestler. Now I’m at the top of the bracket. I just had to get to that (final) match. I was the number-one seed. I had a little pressure on me. That’s (getting to the state tournament) my goal, for sure. I was one match short last year.” – Cedar Crest senior Adam Gilson after winning the 195-pound weight class championship at the Lancaster-Lebanon League wrestling tournament.

“Every year I coach, I love it more and more, I do enjoy high school coaching. But I never thought I’d coach girls. The surprising thing is girls listen, and they will apply everything they learn. I’m not saying I would never go back to the boys’ side. It’s a catch-22. I wouldn’t trade this for anything, but I don’t want to use Elco situation as motivation. I thought I was ready to be a head coach. I had a taste of success.” – Pine Grove girls’ basketball coach and Myerstown resident Chris George.

“Some of the little things we take for granted, she appreciates it so much. She appreciates so much, and you can just see how happy she is. Before every game she comes over and gives me a hug. And after every game she comes over and gives me a hug. And sometimes it’s like, ‘Hey, that feels good.'” – Lebanon Catholic girls’ basketball coach Patti Hower on her program’s number one fan, Adrienne Heilman.

“It’s cool. I have kids who live in different parts of the country, and I can call them and say, ‘Look, dad’s got a photo in USA Today.’ It is a real thrill. I learn something new every game I shoot. It’s something I take pretty seriously.” – Jonestown resident and USA TODAY photographer Jeff Pittenger.

“I’ve been up to Bucknell five or six times. I loved their coaching staff. They were the first school that offered me and they were very loyal to me. It’s a great situation up there. The whole process was a little difficult. You have to find who is interested in you and who you are interested in. But I don’t think it was that difficult of a decision.” – Lebanon High quarterback Mark Pyles.

“They will never give up. They will never stop fighting. They will do what you ask, leave everything on the floor and and walk off it with tears in their eyes. They’ve been a ‘We’ since they were five or six playing biddy basketball. You can’t teach that. I  think this is a team that has had intensity for most parts of a game. We’ve tried to make them intense for whole practices, and if you do that, you’re ‘gamers’. Butterflies are good, but I’m confident.” – Lebanon High girls’ basketball coach Ben Brewer.

“We sent most of our freshmen down. Our JVs weren’t ready to play JV basketball. That’s never happened here, not that I know of. But it bothers me. We had a total of eight kids who played last year and didn’t come out this year. That’s disappointing. But I think they’re not coming out for the right reasons. I think I know why, but I don’t want to speak for them. It is what it is. We wish we had more players.” – Northern Lebanon girls’ basketball coach Ken Battistelli.

“Each year it’s getting better and better. We’ll have more than nine wins this year, for sure. But that doesn’t mean if we have ten wins I’m happy. We’re trying to compete in the section. We’re not conceding anything. Each year we seem to be getting better. That’s the expectation. We don’t want to take a step back and not make it to districts.” – Cedar Crest girls’ basketball coach Jim Donmoyer.

“We’ve redefined our goals. Last year was last year. This year is this year. Our mindset is kind of like, ‘what have you done for me lately?’. We have our own expectations as a team, and they’re not necessarily the same as those outside of the program. In this locker room, there’s things we want to accomplish.

“We feel we’re a pretty deep team, and that the difference between one (the top player) and 16 isn’t much. We feel comfortable playing four guards, or we feel comfortable playing three bigs. And we have some interchangeable parts.” – Cedar Crest boys’ basketball coach Tom Smith.

“I’m a post guy unfortunately. We don’t have a lot of size, so we just have to spread some teams out. You’ve got to play us outside, or you’re going to have a ‘drive and kick.’ It was a different game when I played. It’s more guard-oriented now. When I played you had to have inside and outside to be successful.” – Northern Lebanon boys’ basketball coach Gary Bouchette.

“My wife is always on me, ‘Don’t complain. Adjust!” We can only control what we control. We don’t think about ‘what ifs’. But better individuals make a better team. The emphasis at the beginning is always about the team.

“We’ve had 13 straight winning seasons, and been to districts 12 times. The expectation is to win, and compete in the postseason. Anything less than that would be a major disappointment for everyone, even in the community. We don’t lower our expectations, even when we have injuries.”– Palmyra girls’ basketball coach Ron Berman.

 
“This is going to be their legacy, getting us through this. Their clear goal is to get through the season. We never wanted to not have a team. Right now, we have 34 girls in the entire school, in grades nine to 12. Twelve are seniors, we only have seven juniors and five are sophomores. It’s two back-to-back small classes. Down the road, our numbers are evenly spaced out.” – Lebanon Catholic girls’ basketball coach Patti Hower of her squad’s small numbers.

“We have really good leadership with our three seniors. They’ve been doing this for three or four years now. We have a nice group of sophomores, and they’ve been playing together for a while. And they’re very coachable. It’s a solid eight we have right now. We’ll see how it goes. But having leaders like Alex (Siebecker), Kayla (Parks) and Gabby (Battle) makes the sophomores comfortable on the court.

“I think there’s carry-over from last season. We lost two seniors, but we’re returning a good solid group who have played in big games. It’s not like we’re rebuilding, Our expectations are based on last year. We’re definitely counting on picking up where we left off.” – Annville-Cleona girls’ basketball coach Jamie Walborn.

“From our end, it’s a positive. Where it could be a negative is if the kids became complacent. That’s my biggest fear. Number one is: ‘How are we going to replace Timmy?’ and the second is: ‘Are we going to become complacent?’ Last year we expended a lot of emotional energy. I think this group can do it. The motivation is that only one boys’ team in Lebanon County has won back-to-back district championships. That’s us. And this team can be the second.

“What was special about last year wasn’t necessarily the destination, but the journey. It was a culmination of three years. We took some lumps early, but we just kept work and working. That’s what I remember most. To talk about doing something was one thing, but it actually playing out was phenomenal. It was pretty cool.” – Lebanon Catholic boys’ basketball coach Scott Clentimack on defending his club’s 2012-13 District Three Class A championship.

 

“I think that depends on what you want to know. Hopefully the trainer knows the horse better than anyone. But we’re on the horse’s back, out on the track. I try to listen to horses – let horses tell me – but I also have to listen to trainers. There are trainers who are hard to ride for. A lot of it is the energy part. You can feel if they’re ready to race or if they’re tense. You’ve got to read the horse. Believe it or not, they tell you everything you want to know.” – Penn National jockey and Jonestown resident Kaylia Albright.

“I understand that completely. I went back and forth with it. But I don’t regret it at all. Some (Division Two or Three) schools wanted me to come in and start right away at quarterback. It was a big part of my decision. At Elco, I was like the big fish in a small pond. At college, I wanted to  be the small fish in the big pond. I wanted to earn a spot. I thought about going Division Two or Division Three, but I was thinking differently. I wanted to compete with the best.” – Elco graduate and Maine linebacker Arron Achey.

“They definitely did deserve to be here. Go ask (Littlestown head man Mike) Coach Lippy if we deserved it. That’s one of their closest games of the year. Over the first half of the season, no we didn’t deserve it. But we won four of our last five games, so we did deserve it. Sure it was a successful season. Any time you come here (to districts) and experience this, it’s a successful season. We had some bumps along the way, but the kids kept working hard and kept practicing.” – Annville-Cleona football coach Terry Lehman, following a season-ending loss to Littlestown in the District Three Class AA playoffs.

“It’s been up and down. Kicking is a tough road. If you’re making them, you’re in the game. If not, you’re on the sidelines. They’re always bringing guys into compete. You just have to stay positive and hope your time will come. I’ve got to finish strong. I had my excitement for that day. Now I have to go back to working hard. I want to go out there and be consistent, and give the team faith in me. They work hard all game to get into field goal position. My job is to make kicks.” – Cedar Crest graduate and Division One University of Massachusetts kicker Brendon Levengood.

“It’s really hard to lose any of your seniors. These girls had a lot of expectations. I told them I was proud of them. I thought they gave me everything they had. I’m very proud of the way they kept their composure. They kept playing Palmyra field hockey. I thought they played their hearts out for Katie (Dembrowski), and for each other.” – Palmyra field hockey coach Kristi Costello of a season-ending loss in the opening round of the PIAA Class AA playoffs.

“It’s been a great decision. I’m definitely very happy. I came to a school where I really get along with with everyone. It all seems to be clicking. It feels great to be part of a team focused on the team element more than the individual. It seems like there’s something in the air. Everything seems to be going the right way. The biggest reason is the team element. There’s no focus on who’s getting the recognition. Everybody roots for everybody else. The offense cheers for the defense and the defense cheers for the offense.” – Lebanon Valley College receiver and Elco product Tyler George.

“I didn’t know that. I just make plays and get people riled up. And get them in the zone. I’ve just got to get them going.” – Lebanon High quarterback Mark Pyles, about having a hand in every one of the offensive touchdowns his team scored during the 2013 season.

“No, I’ve never considered giving one up. I’ve seen people do it in the past. I like both a lot, and the enjoyment that comes from both. They both have their difficulties, but overall I’d say football is harder. Everyone is very close,” added Hostetter. “We all have each other’s backs. Football is very physical, and in band you just play your instrument. They can be a pain, but they both pay off at the end.” – Elco lineman and tuba player Nate Hostetter.

“The difference was we played defense. We shut down the run pretty good. They got some yards, but we never broke. They (the Little Dutchmen) only had one drive that produced points. We’ve given up five scores in the last three games, and one was a special teams touchdown. Yeah, I think it was the best defensive effort of the season. We knew we were going to score points. We know we’re going to put up three or four touchdowns every week.” – Elco head football coach Bob Miller, on a 26-14 victory over rival Annville-Cleona.

“My main goal for the team was to make it to states. We could’ve repeated but it would’ve been tougher without Maria (Tukis). But I knew I had to be in the top three for us to reach our goal. I really think it would’ve come down to one of us for first (if Tukis was healthy). That could’ve been a real toss-up. And if we had Maria, I think we could’ve been a contender for first (among teams).” – Palmyra junior Miranda Salvo, after winning the District Three Class AA cross country championship.

“For us, we were still trying to win the division. If we win this game, we feel like we still have a good shot. Right now, with this loss, we’re out of it, barring some sort of miracle. Yeah, that’s (districts) our goal now. That’s our target goal. We need to finish out the season first, but I think we can do it.” – Palmyra boys’ soccer coach Craig Tyrell, on a late-season loss to rival Lower Dauphin.

“When you look in their eyes it gives you the belief that this is why we do it. Their face, their smile tells it all. A lot of the staff, we’ve been there, we’ve done that and we understand it,” Rodriguez added. “It’s about putting a positive message out there and allowing them to be a part of something.” – George Rodriguez, organizer of the Salvation Army’s youth basketball program.

“I work here (LCC), so I play as frequently as possible, any chance I get. You have to hit it straight off the tee. It’s easy to get in trouble. It’s pretty long too. Greens are quick. Being below the  hole is always better than being  above it. I think it is an advantage. There’s certain things you’ve got to know to play this course. No (79 isn’t necessarily a good score). I’d say anywhere from 77 and below. I thought I was coming in at 76. That seems to be my number out  here.” – Lebanon County scholastic golf champion Nate Rader, a senior from Cedar Crest, on playing at the Lebanon Country Club.

“When we went to Columbia for the first time this year, the girls saw the section banner. We don’t have any banners hanging in our gym that recognize our program. When the girls saw the banner they said, ‘That should be our’s.’ That’s a huge motivation for the girls, to know they came that close last year.

“The season’s definitely been a success. There’s no other way to put it. Last year was a surprise. This year I thought if we built on it that we’d do very well. At the beginning of the season the section title was our big goal. And we wanted to go to leagues (playoffs) and win at least one game, and we wanted to go to districts (playoffs) and win at least one game. Pretty much one step further than we went last year.” – Elco girls’ volleyball coach Paul Dissinger.

“One of our biggest goals was to defend our league title. We wanted to be up there in the section and get to districts. A couple of games ago, those goals weren’t in sight. But now they’re starting to pan out. We’ll see how they (her players) respond the rest of the way.” – Cedar Crest girls’ soccer coach Lauren King.

“When I was younger those things bothered me. But when you grow up you let those things roll off of you. The people who do that have nothing to show for their life. Now if I hear them, I just laugh about it.” – Nate Tobias, Lebanon High’s 6-6, 405-pound defensive tackle/offensive guard on comments made by his peers.

“No, there is no harsher penalty. That’s the harshest penalty a team can get. I know what he (the official) called, I just disagreed with it. This group is starting to show their character, to show their maturity. It very well could’ve been the turning point, but I thought it went the other way. because of the stop of the PK. They (the Vikings) were awarded a penalty kick, we’re down a man and our best defender is on the bench, but we were like; ‘We’re not going to lose this. We’re not going to give them an opportunity to get back in the game.’ The kids worked their butts off.

“That type of play is going to go one of two ways, it’s going to sink you or it’s going to pull you up. There was not one negative comment. It was like, ‘What are we going to do to win this game?’ I told them (his players), ‘I’m not pulling off the attack.'” – Annville-Cleona boys’ soccer coach Ray Kreiser.

“You’re hopeful that happens. The more opportunities you take, the better the chance you are going to have to score. We’ve been struggling to score. They (her players) were trying, but I think they hit a point where they didn’t know what to do because it wasn’t working. They couldn’t figure out what needed to happen. It wasn’t a lack of effort. The offense needed to be played differently. We talked about a control game. It seemed like the harder we tried, the worse it got.” – Annville-Cleona field hockey coach Sue Felty.

“It was a lack of heart, a lack of desire. I think if you asked them, the team would say that too. It’s what we’ve been struggling with all year. Heart is something that’s not coach-able. Players either have it or they don’t. I can’t instill it in them. They can be (passionate), but for the longest time we’ve looked for some leadership. Now we’re finally getting it.” – Palmyra girls’ soccer coach Amber Miller.

“He’s pretty good. He’s fast and he likes to run with the ball. Yeah, I think he’s a pretty good football player. I know he plays other sports, but I think football is his favorite. I’m not really concerned about him getting hurt, because he’s a tough guy. I’m proud of him. I try to give him as much support as I can. I try to do cute little things for him, like before games putting notes on his locker.” – Annville-Cleona pitcher Chrisi Lerchen on boyfriend Gage Ocker, a quarterback on the Cedar Crest football team.

“We had an outstanding week of practice. I’ve never been around a group that cares so much about each other and believes so much in one another. Last week, we got over the hump. And there were some good things we did tonight. Yeah, it’s been a while since we’ve been 2-1. I believe in these guys. It just feels really good for us to have success.” – Lebanon head football coach Gerry Yonchiuk.

“It’s official, as long as you get a half in. Oh yeah, we knew about it (the threat of a thunderstorm) before the game. I told the girls, ‘You must score in the first half, because we can’t guarantee we’re going to finish this game.’ And they did. I’m extremely pleased with them. At the end of the game, we’re usually the ones saying, ‘Oh darn, we could’ve won that game.’

“We are very excited because we have never (in a while) had a winning season. We had four wins last year and we have four now. I know it’s very early, but we’re making improvements. I’m looking for eight wins, doubling last year. Elco hockey has not had eight wins in six seasons.” – Elco field hockey coach Lisa Kercher.

“That was always one of the things, ‘We want to go to Elco and beat Elco.’ But the last two years we might have lost some of that. People have always said it’s tough playing here. Beating Elco is important to everyone. I don’t think our kids realize they have to battle, home and away. There are no easy wins.” – Elco boys’ soccer coach Kirk Keppley

“Sports here are booming. People might say the football program is not winning, but Coach (Tom) Waranavage has 65 kids out. It’s the same with our other programs. We’re filling varsity and JV teams at all levels. Kids have pride in their school, and they’re coming out to play.

“Obviously we’d like to see everyone here have a winning season and go to the playoffs. Is that realistic? Probably not. The Lancaster-Lebanon League is a competitive league and we’re playing in the top section. I think  we’re on the right path. We have kids who want to play. Any good program is good because of the kids. And I’ve seen that here so far.” –  New Cedar Crest athletic director Rob Snyder

 

“We did what we had to do to win the football game. They (Montlcair Red Hawks) played field position with us. In the third and fourth quarter we gained field position, and we didn’t give it up. Here’s what I know: our defense stayed strong. The difference between a great football team and a good football team is making plays in the fourth quarter. We’re not a great football team, but we made plays in the fourth quarter.” – Lebanon Valley College head football coach Jim Monos on a season-opening triumph.

“I’ll tell you why winning is so important. If we lost after losing a two-touchdown lead, it would’ve been a crusher. I shared with them (his players) what the process would be (in overtime). It can’t get any more exciting than that, can it?

“We needed it. Our program needed it, from top to bottom, from the coaches to the players. Now it gives them (his players) something to believe in, something to build on. It’s a win. I don’t care if it was 7-6 or 77-76.” – Lebanon football coach Gerry Yonchiuk after his team snapped an 11-game losing skein with a 40-39 overtime victory over Northern Lebanon.

“The one thing I knew from a young age is that I wanted to play Division One basketball. I wanted to be close to home. I wanted to allow my parents an opportunity to come see me play. And I wanted it to be a short drive if I wanted to come home. I wanted to get a higher education and a degree from a reputable institution, and Bucknell, Lehigh and Lafayette all fit that bill.Ultimately, it came down to Bucknell and Lehigh. Being with the girls, I saw myself fitting in just a little bit better at Bucknell. And with all the basketball things being equal, I wanted to attend the school where I felt most comfortable.” – Palmyra senior basketball star Carly Richardson.

“I thought we did a lot of things on the fast break, and some of those turned into goals. We practice it. It’s certainly what we try to do. Alex (forward, Siebecker) is fast and we certainly try to get it out to her. We should’ve had an advantage, with more players. I was obviously able to substitute more freely. In other games, we were the better conditioned team. But that wasn’t true today. But you can only call so many timeouts and take so many breaks.” – Annville-Cleona field hockey coach Sue Felty.

“We played pretty well. It’s hard when you go down to ten players. When that happens you have to focus on your formation. What we did was slide back as many players as possible, we put five in the back and four in front of them. Yeah, at that point you have to play for a tie. You know tiredness is going to be a problem, so you hope for a counter-attack.” – Cedar Crest boys’ soccer coach Dustin Bixler.

“It was a little bit of what we were talking about earlier, just keep knocking on the door, and it will open. Their kids played hard. They were prepared. I told Coach Yonchiuk he does a great job with his team. They’re going to win some games. The Pyles kid is good. In five years, that’s the most intense Cedar Bowl, I’ve been a part of. That’s a rivalry game. That’s the way it should be.” – Cedar Crest head coach football coach Tom Waranavage.

“It’s a process. And sometimes it takes a little longer. But before you can win it, you’ve got to be in it. Once you do,it’s a pretty neat thing because you see maturity happening right before your eyes. Is winning important? Sure it is. We’re keeping score for a reason. We have de-emphasized competition so much in our society. A public performance is expected each week from these kids. What I want our kids to know is to keep plugging along, and if you fight the good fight, good things are going to happen.” – Cedar Crest head football coach Tom Waranavage.

“I think we need to get better on defense. Regardless of schemes, we’ve got to be physical and we’ve got to get off the ball better. Mentally, we’re light years ahead of where we were last year. We want to get ‘W’s. Our goal will always be a .500 season, and go from there. But Section Two (of the Lancaster-Lebanon League) is phenomenal.

“One of our strengths is the execution of our offense. We’re moving the ball, and that’s because of Mark (Pyles). Having an experienced quarterback, if you get that guy, that’s where the confidence is going to come in. And the team is going to follow him.” – Lebanon head football coach Gerry Yonchiuk.

“Each year we go on a retreat at Camp Swatara and do goal-setting. I think team-goal-wise, everybody understands the division (Keystone of the Mid-Penn Conference) in is going to be difficult. Right now, we’re on an 11-game losing streak, so I think we’re really focusing on getting that first one. But we’re not selling ourselves short. Getting that first win is important.

“I always think last year is last year. This year we have some games we can compete in. That number (turnout) line is a critical line. When you’re below it, you kind of go into that red zone and spiral down. Right now, we’ve got some guys who are injured, and it puts stress on other guys.” – Palmyra head football coach Chris Pope.

“Last year, we were run heavy. Now Jeff can throw the ball. Cameron is a running back, and Jeff will do great. Last year, Jeff had a strong arm and did really well with what he was given to do. But we didn’t take a lot of shots deep. Now he’s reading defenders. He’s able to see the defense. That’s been a huge step up for him. This year he knows he’s going to play the majority of snaps if he’s healthy. And his footwork has improved.

“We told Cameron, if he’s going to be good he’s got to play another sport. So he came out for indoor track, gained ten pounds and lowered his 40 (yard dash) time to 4.4 or 4.5. He’s in awesome shape. If he can go, we’re just going to keep giving it to him. I’m excited for him this year because he’s so strong.” – Elco head football coach Bob Miller on quarterback Jeff Martin and running back Cameron Strause.

“We’ve played a lot of golf together. The first time we played in this event we finished third, and the second time we finished second. I said to him, ‘There’s only one place left to go.’ Every time we go out to play, we have a good time. I can’t ask for a better partner. He’s the county amateur champ. If you can pick your partner, he’s the one to pick.” – Ryan Weaber on playing partner Mike Schmidt, Jr.

“Iron Valley wanted to get in the rotation. I could see having an individual event here one year. That’s great. We’d like to have them in the rotation.” – Lebanon County Golf Association member Jim Gardner.

“Is there a level of frustration? Sure. We’ve taken one step, but not the next. We feel like we win games we’re supposed to. But I don’t think you can ever change the goal of the program, and that’s winning the MAC (Middle Atlantic Conference). We want to keep that as the goal. We were pleased with our fifth straight winning season, but we felt like there was more there last year. We had Widener on the ropes with a couple of minutes left. But then after the Widener loss, we weren’t the same football team.” – Lebanon Valley head football coach Jim Monos.

“Until we get that first win, we’re in an eight-game losing stretch, and the pressure mounts. We’ve got to get that first one and then go from there. We have to learn how to win. That’s a big thing for our kids, to play with confidence. We as coaches have to instill that in them. We tell the kids, ‘Play with confidence.  Have confidence in your ability. Have confidence in your teammates. Do your job.’ I think they have to know how to play a level above. That’s what we got out of last year. Our motto is: ‘Play on your toes, not on your heels. Play full speed.'” – Northern Lebanon head football coach Roy Wall.

“We brought seven freshmen up to the varsity four years ago, and this is the core of that group. A lot of them are three-year starters. It’s time to put up or shut up. We went through our cycle. It’s time to do it now. I’m anxious. I’m curious. I’ve been down this road before. I’m being protective of the kids in setting smaller goals.” – Annville-Cleona head football coach Terry Lehman.

“Basically, it’s like taking care of a dog or a cat. You’ve got to feed them. You’ve got to water them. You’ve got to keep them happy. As far as training, you’ve got to go with what you think. I like to graze my horses 15-20 minutes every day. Twenty-three and a half hours is a long time to be cooped up in a twelve-by-twelve stall. We put in a lot of time outside, which is time consuming.

“I can’t teach horses how to run fast. They’ve got to know how to run fast. We have to get it out of them. You’ve got to get the right program for the horse. You’ve just go to find what makes a horse lively. And you’ve got to change things if something isn’t working. You’ve got to get as much run out of them as possible, and I’m better at that than just about everyone out there (Penn National).” – Penn National trainer Tim Kreiser.

“I decided not to play football right after the end of school. Pretty much to focus on basketball, because that’s what I want to do in college. I need to work on my shot, get faster and get bigger and stronger. I’ve been playing football pretty much all of my life, so it was a tough decision. But I decided in my mind and followed through with it.” – Former quarterback Anthony Pletz on the decision to forgo his senior season.

“It means come up, get the kids off the street, and get up on the court. We’re trying to clean the streets.” – ‘Sweep the Streets’ Organizer George Rodriguez.

“Those are things you’ve definitely got to have inside of you. As a coach, it’s your job to bring it out. What we want them to do is trust their work ethic and trust that the coaches can bring the best out of them. I think I’m able to do that with some of these kids, to get them to trust us and to trust themselves. I think the biggest thing is getting kids confident, maybe to the point that they’re a little bit cocky. And then maybe they can get other kids to think the same way.

The kids know I played at Penn State. They know I won the state championship at Manheim Central. Kids will ask me: ‘What was Joe (Paterno) like?’ ‘What was Penn State like?’ The kids enjoy talking to me. We have a couple of kids who have an opportunity to play at the next level. They definitely know my past and I hope it’s something they can respect.” – Palmyra receivers coach and former Penn Stater Graham Zug.

“I guess when I was being recruited by Penn State, which is one of the top six teams in the country, I realized I was a pretty good player. I didn’t think I could play at that high of a level. But it was like, ‘Wow, I guess I can.’ I do know it, but I’m a very humble person. I don’t go around bragging about it. I just go and do it. I guess I realized it this summer, like ‘I can play with the top players in the country.’ If you told me I was one of the best players in the country, I would say, ‘Thanks!'” – Cedar Crest midfielder Haleigh Echard on being chosen to compete for the United States Women’s Under-18 National soccer team.

“It’s a salvage yard. But I remember the racing. The racing from the racing days. My memories of this place are very strong. The future is just doing what I’m doing now – trying to make a living. It’s not worth selling to me. This is all I’ve done all my life. This is what I do. What the hell would I become without it?” – Dale Richard, Jr., owner of the former Fredericksburg Stadium.

“He played the outfield and I played the infield. And one time a ball went up into shallow center field. I called for it, but he just kept coming. He ran me over, and I got the worst of it. It was the same with coaching. He was always wondering, ‘Do we have enough runs?’, and we’d be up 10-1. Yes, he played hard, and he coached hard. He wanted to win. His win-loss record speaks for itself.” – Kenny Hess on deceased Fredericksburg baseball manager Marlin Spangler.

“When I walked in, I thought to myself, ‘This really has good potential. It’s a mix of everything. You want it not to be wide open It takes time to design. I was here maybe 15 times before I figured out where we wanted to put the course. I just kept walking around, wondering ‘where do we want to start.’ Once we got familiar with the place, then we started thinking about the holes. Then you start filling in holes, in a way. Then you get a feel for where you are and where you want to go. ” – South Hills Disc Golf Course designer Mike Dunkle.

“I’m still trying to keep myself in shape as much as I can. The body doesn’t take it as much as it used to. Like any athlete, your legs go first, so I’ve scaled down my dives. I can still do some of  the more difficult moves, just not as regularly. I’ve found that there are other people like myself. Sometimes I go to meets and think to myself, ‘This is a bunch of older people diving.’ And other times I think, ‘It’s a bunch of older people living.’ But the diving world is kind of small.” – 50-year-old competitive diver Eric Bomberger.

“I felt good out there, whether or not that was adrenalin or endurance. That last inning I might not have had my best stuff. I’ve gone eight innings before, in college. It (his pitch count) wasn’t too crazy.” – Campbelltown ace Josh Sollenberger on throwing 145 pitches when his  previous career-high was 117.

“We’re all anxious for the  season. In my shoes, the coolest part is being  around the professional athletes, just getting to see the players and getting to interact with them on a one-on-one basis. The season will be a blast. They gave me  a shot, There were hundreds of  guys who applied for the job. I’m blessed to get it, but any more it’s who you know.” – Elco grad Austin Lawrence on his internship with the Dallas Cowboys.

“This team here, we don’t have a bunch of Division One players, but they play together. That (a dynasty) is what it is. For years, it was Fredericksburg. But when you expect to win every year, you’ve got something good going on. Being a dynasty, that’s why we have trouble with other teams in the league. Maybe in a few years it’ll be Myerstown’s turn, or Annville’s turn. They realized with it being a best-of-three series (referring to a 9-1 loss to Fredericksburg), there was no tomorrow if they lost. They didn’t want to go down that path. All along the goal was to get to regionals. We think we have a better chance at regionals (than last year). Hopefully we can do some damage for this county. That would be an honor for us.” – Campbelltown head coach Tim Morgan on his club’s third Lebanon County American Legion baseball league championship in four years.

“Everybody wants to beat them, and beat them every time. They’re a good team. When they’re winning, they’re good. I’d love to come back and beat them three times, but the odds against that happening are pretty big, It’s easy to be cocky when things are going your way. It’s easy to have a chip on your shoulder when things are going your way. What impressed me is how our guys came back after getting down in the second game.” – Myerstown head coach Johnny Mentzer, after dropping a doubleheader to Campbelltown in the Lebanon County American Legion baseball championship series.

“You’re a little more relaxed, you are. I didn’t like the tee time. I didn’t want to hold anyone up. It’s weird, I never go off first. But you set the pace. I thought in my head that I needed four under. That was because of guys like Deraco, Leeper and Succi. Deraco loves this course. But when I got to four-under, I got conservative. I was hitting irons off the tee. But it was solid. It was neat.” – Bill Massar, Jr. on winning the Lebanon County Senior Amateur golf title, playing in the first group of the day and with his father and uncle.

“Morder played guts on that play, going home. It was a great hand slide. Tyler was on his own. We talked about a few things before, but that was all on him. I thought the first baseman fell asleep. He hesitated and that was the difference. Tyler gets on base and makes things happen,” continued Morgan. “You’ve got to go for it, and it worked. Coach Morgan would’ve been drinking beer and fishing if he hadn’t done that.” – Campbelltown head coach Tim Morgan on Tyler Morder’s calculated base-running risk that produced the winning run in a Lebanon County American Legion baseball playoff game.

“I think this may be the second time out of 20-some games this season where I’ve had all my kids. What I would call my nine normal starters. It’s always nice. Defensively we can line up well. And I’ve got decent speed in my lineup, and it’s nice being able to move runners. Coming in, I was cautiously confident. I know we have a good team. We have some players who can play some good baseball.” – Fredericksburg head coach Jim McKinney on his club’s upset of Campbelltown in the opening game of a Lebanon County American legion baseball best-of-three semifinal series.

“You can tell kids they’ve got to call it. But that’s the type of kids they are. They’re hard-nosed, balls-to-the-walls kids. Truthfully, I saw most of the collision. I don’t know if anyone got a glove on it, but that’s neither here or there now. They’re both hard-nosed kids. Braeden’s (Elliott) quiet, but they both have a passion for the game. It’s unfortunate it had to end the way it did.” – Annville head coach Steve Hostetter on a fielding collision that cost his team in a loss to Myerstown in the opening round of the Lebanon County American Legion baseball playoffs.

“We looked at it like we needed to get some wins. We wanted to win the first one to get the head-to-head tiebreaker. Tonight we wanted to win to get two games up on them. The next three games will tell me where we are. I’ve got to get some kids back from vacation. Right now, it’s been an OK season, but it is to be determined.” – Manager Jim McKinney on perennial power Fredericksburg’s late-season struggles to reach the postseason.

“We talked about that tonight. If we don’t win, we’re probably either going to get second or third. And it looks like they’re (Myerstown) either going to get second or third. I’d rather not face them, even though Fifth Ward (which is battling for the final spot) is legit. I wouldn’t take them (the Golden Gopehers) lightly in any game. They’ve (Myerstown) beaten us twice. For them, coming in and sweeping us, it wouldn’t have set well going into the playoffs. Plus, we’d like to win the regular season (title) as well.” – Annville American Legion baseball head coach Steve Hostetter, prognasticating the upcoming postseason.

“It’s my fifth time as a runner-up, that’s a lot. I play well, and other people play really well. That’s what happened this year. Schmidty is incredibly talented. He’s one of the most talented people you will find in this area. He can hit a lot of golf shots I can not. He can literally hit it as far as he wants. If he wants to hit farther, he hits it farther. When he plays well, he’s an incredibly gifted golfer.” – Chris Gebhard on Lebanon County Amateur Champion Mike Schmidt, Jr.

“The moral of my round for today was just having good people around me. The camaraderie on the golf course, and it was beautiful out there. It’s just a place to call ‘home’. I played good because I was comfortable, and I was made really happy by the people around me. I enjoyed myself today. I had fun. I just felt really good.” – Lebanon County Amateur Golf First-Round Leader Mike Schmidt, Jr.

“Actually, my first show was for doctors and nurses when I was in the hospital for cancer,” said Witter. “And then when I was a pro at Fox Chase (in Denver, PA), if they had an outing, I’d do some trick. Things just snowballed from there. Then in 1998 at an outing at Iron Valley, there was a sports marketing agent in the event. He handed me a card and said, ‘You need to give me a call.’ And I said, ‘For what?’ And he said, ‘I think I can get you some work.’ He got me a job in Dayton, Ohio and I couldn’t believe someone was paying me $500 to do it. At that event, I had five more people approach me. From there, it turned into a career.” – Myerstown resident Ben Witter on the evolution of his world renowned golf trick shot show.

“I probably like it because of the group of people associated with it. I’m a competitive person. And if you’re a competitive person, you want to go out and beat the other guy. I’m originally from Lebanon County and I always look forward to it. I try to pretend I’m younger than I really am. I’m not looking forward to the day I can’t compete. I look forward to going out and being the best I can for a weekend.” – Tony Deraco on the defense of his 2012 Lebanon County Amateur golf championship.

“Yes and no. This is such an even league. The county, in general, is full of talent, but it’s spread out. I don’t think  there’s a target on their (Campbelltown) back. They didn’t hit the four-games-in-a-week part of their schedule yet. It’s going to get interesting over the next couple of weeks. But they’re a good baseball team. They showed that with their hitting tonight.” – Myerstown Coach Johnny Mentzer on Campbelltown’s increasing dominance of the Lebanon County American Legion Baseball League.

“I would say of our fan base, anywhere from ten to 15 percent are from Lebanon. But we’re trying to increase it. We always feel like they should come here instead of going to Harrisburg. It’s not far at all. Those fans (in Lebanon) are real Phillies’ fans. It’s one of the bigger target markets we’re trying to hit, because where do they go? Do they want to go all the way to Harrisburg? It’s one of the areas we want to improve on.” – Mike Robinson, Director of Community Relations for the Reading Fightin’ Phils.

“This team knows. The bulls-eye is on our back. Everybody wants us. When you’re the defending champs, everyone wants to beat you. I think all the teams this year are going to be good. It’s going to be good this year. It’s going to be competitive.” – Campbelltown American Legion baseball coach Tim Morgan

“To be honest, a lot of people want to leave and get away, but I feel a necessity to reach back and do something for the people from Lebanon. That’s what I’m doing here. It’s a progression for me. It’s a town that needs some type of progress, especially for youth. I’m definitely committed to Lebanon. But I want people who live in Lebanon to get committed to Lebanon. That’s the trick. Hopefully we can do more things like this and turn the tide.” – Lebanon native Jared Odrick

“Early in the season, I’m pleasantly surprised. But it’s early. We got  a couple of new kids and they’re going to help. We came in with high expectations. We had try-outs and we had to cut players.” – Fifth Ward American Legion baseball coach Tony McDonnell.

“It is a great deal. The games are against foreign players. The coaching is against foreign coaches. The sites we will see are amazing. But it’s all about the different people you meet. The communication is going to be a little difficult, but soccer is the common bond. With it being the number one sport in the world, you can’t top it,” continued Keppley. “The United States hasn’t been into that world scene all that long. As far as soccer goes and the passion for the game, it’s been the world’s sport for 100 years.” – Elco boys’ soccer coach Kirk Keppley on his program’s semi-regular trip out of the country to play soccer.

“It has it’s moments when it becomes monotonous. Like three months before the draft when everyone wants to know who the Steelers are going to take. It’s a lot of attention for very little. And then it happens, Bang. The games are something different. It’s the greatest reality series going. The personalities. The Steelers organization. I’ve never covered another pro football team, but these guys are great to cover. They’re down-to-earth, from the (owner) Rooneys on down.” – Lebanon native and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sportswriter Ed Bouchette, whose main responsibility is to cover the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I think golf is that type of thing. I’m not a spring chicken, but I think you learn how to play over the years. You get smarter. You realize there’s more to it than just going out and smashing it. And there are times when you get hot and you play pretty good. It is a process. I know I’m not a professional. But when it comes to amateur golf, against pretty much everyone, I think I can win. I compete as hard as I can, and I’m just thankful I can still go out there and do it.” – Lebanon’s Dan Brown on his evolution as a golfer.

“I love this. I love stats. I love Lebanon Valley and it’s people. It’s a great atmosphere. It’s both, a love of local sports and for Lebanon Valley. I go to a lot of high school stuff too. But if Lebanon Valley is playing, I’m there first.” – Lebanon Valley College Sports Historian Harry Speece.

“I’ve been doing it since I was  four. My dad used to race when he was a kid. He wanted to see if I could do it. The day I was off training wheels, I was on the track. Now I’ve gotten better and better.” – Lebanon BMX Racer Devon Enck, 9.

“The biggest thing karate has done for me is teach me how to handle adversity. You’ve got to walk the walk. ‘How do I use these skills in my personal life?’ It teaches you to be more respectful, to become more disciplined. When I first started, I thought it would be cool to learn self-defense. Then I started to realize this is more than people know. The dojo is a place where you can come and grow mentally and spiritually.” – Lebanon Isshinryu Karate Sensei John  Devine.

“He was a name, that’s all. As far as duties, they were very limited. He had very limited connections with the membership. He never gave lessons. He did very little. He used Hershey as a place to tune his game, prepare for the year on the tour. He basically did nothing to run the club. A guy by the name of Glen Hummer ran the pro shop for him.”  – Former Hershey Country Club head professional Jay Weitzel on Ben Hogan’s time in Chocolatetown.

“It wasn’t like I was on a track and field team. It was like I was running with my brothers. It’s like family.” –  Annville-Cleona senior distance runner Shawn Wolfe on competing with two state-championship winning relay teams.

“I knew we had this amazing team and that we were going to run well. This is my last season with these amazing girls. I just wanted to run with everything in me.” – Palmyra senior distance runner Olivia Farabaugh, after her 3200-relay team won the PIAA Class AAA championship.

“It was a success in that way, but not the way it ended. It’s a successful season. They’re great kids. I get on them, but I get results. We needed a rah-rah person, and no, we never had a leader. No one showed up. I think it’s very important, but they (his players) might not see it that way. You need that kid to pick everyone up when they’re down.” – Annville-Cleona head softball coach Dave Bentz on the shortcomings that led to his team’s demise.

“Honestly, we wanted to beat last year’s record. They (her players) did that right off the bat. The future looks bright. We definitely needed to be here. We’re getting better. It’s all about the progression. That’s what we said to the girls. This (districts) is what we’re working for at the start of next year.” – Palmyra softball coach Kathy Wicker on her program’s rare District Three Class AAA appearance.

“We should compete in districts. It’s a shame, but we really wanted to win this game. It’s just over. Yeah, we made the playoffs, but nothing came of it. We’re done. But I’m not going to say it was a negative season.” – Annville-Cleona senior pitcher Tanner Fitting after having his career ended in the opening round of the District Three Class AA playoffs.

“It was a pretty good day. It’s hard to do multiple events. But everybody rose to the occasion. I thought the key to the relays were the guys who ususally don’t get the credit. You have to balance it. You don’t want to do too much for yourself, and you don’t want to do too much for the relays and take away from individual races.” – Annville-Cleona senior runner Ben Mason, after the District Three Class AA Track and Field Championships.

“They all have a passion for the business in general. You don’t do this to get rich. You do it because you love what you do. Passion is probably the biggest thing that drives me.” – Harrisburg Patriot-News sportswriter and Cedar Crest grad Jeremy Elliott, on the abundance of Lebanon County sportswriters at area newspapers. 

“As I tell everyone, I’ll finally be able to sit at a stadium and watch an entire track meet, and be able to appreciate the running events.” – Local track and field official Louise Trump, who made her mark measuring field events.

“I’ve been here before and you can’t beat the atmosphere. It’s an intense atmosphere. We were hoping to play tomorrow (in the semifinals). The kids were excited. We knew it was going to be a tough assignment. We were very glad to make the league playoffs. It’s going to be all positives when we talk to them (his players). There were some things we didn’t do well. But there were lots more positive things that went well.” – Annville-Cleona baseball coach Scott Shyda, talking about the league playoff experience.

“As a four-by-eight, we’re fairly young. It seems like we’re inexperienced, but we have a lot of heart and try to do our best every time out. Number one, we want to go under eight minutes. We’re all really close, we’re just waiting for the perfect day. We’re going to districts and we’re going to states. You’ll see us at both because we’re determined to get there. We’re going to  medal at districts and do the best we can at states.” – Cedar Crest distance runner Willie Bragg, on the significance of the track and field  postsesason.

“I feel like we need both of them. But someone said we should be in no matter what. If we could make it, it would be huge. That was the seniors’ thing. I didn’t think we’d get there. But I hope we do it for the seniors. I know the girls coming up will get there.” – Palmyra softball coach Kathy Wicker, on the importance of qualifying for the district playoffs.

“It means I’m somewhere near as good as him (Will Haus), as good as a Division One kid. And he’s doing pretty well at Duke. It (his scoring) was steady at the beginning (of the season). Then it went down for two or three games. And then I went back up. That’s (being the Mid-Penn’s leading scorer) really important to me because I’m trying to get All-American (status). I need the stats to back up my play. And I did better than I did last year.” – Palmyra senior Evan Downey, Lebanon County’s all-time leading boys’ lacrosse scorer.

“We know them very well, without a doubt. I don’t take a lot of stock in the section championship. We beat them twice, enough said. But we had to beat them a third time. I expected that kind of game with them. It was close. We had opportunities, we had chances. We just didn’t produce. This game we could’ve won today.” – Annville-Cleona softball coach Dave Bentz, following a 3-0 loss to Pequea Valley in a one-game playoff for the Lancaster-Lebanon Section Four title.

“No, it is not imminent. What is imminent is looking at an activity fee. That will always be on the table. The state is holding hundreds of thousands of dollars for a school we built. If I had the money, I wouldn’t have to look other places. We’re in a revenue generating search at Elco. But the first thing we’re going to do is cut costs. – Elco superintendent David Zuilkoski about ‘pay to play’.

“At this point, we’re playing to get into districts. We’re on the bubble, and this loss hurts. This puts us behind the eight-ball. My experience is that they (his players) don’t look at the district playoffs. We talk about it and some follow it, but a lot of them are playing for pride. I’d say more so than not, they’re not aware of districts.” – Cedar Crest softball coach Jerry Stover, following a late-season loss to Manheim Township.

“Shoe didn’t have much left at the end. But I looked at it this way: this was his last game on this field. I had (Steven) Rhoades warming up, but there was no way I was taking him out.” – Elco baseball coach Chris Weidner on senior starter Adam Shoemaker.

“I woke up this morning thinking about the game. I thought about it all during school. I couldn’t wait to play. I knew it was going to be a big game. I felt great. I was in the zone. I just tried to throw strikes and trust my fielders. I trust every one of those guys out there.” – Palmyra sophomore righthander Bobby Dorta, on a late-season shut-out of West York.

“Don’t look at the EKG, because my heart may have skipped a beat. I guess you could paraphrase it by saying this was an ugly win or we found a way to win. Or that we were looking ahead to tomorrow.” – Annville-Cleona softball coach Dave Bentz, on a late-season win which kept his club alive for a championship.

“We can still get second in the section. We have our sites set on that (qualifying for the league playoffs), but we’re trying not to look too far ahead. I couldn’t be happier for these kids if that’s the way it ends up. Tanner’s (Fitting) the big spark. He doesn’t let them (his teammates) get down. He’s held us together when things could’ve gone south. I couldn’t ask for more of a senior leader.” – Annville-Cleona baseball coach Scotty Shyda.

“When I was at Maryland, people would ask me, ‘Where’s Lebanon?’  ‘Did you ever get Lebanon bologna? That’s where I’m from.’ Whenever I talk about the NFL, I tell people I came back here because this is where it started. It was great to be born and raised in Lebanon County.” – Former Lebanon High and NFL quarterback Dick Shiner.

“Field hockey is my main sport, but all the sports I play are important to me. Basketball and track are tied, but I  love my teammates and I enjoy competing with them. We’re all really close, even outside of track season.” – Palmyra sophomore distance runner Katie Dembrowski after being named the Outstanding Female Athlete at the Lebanon County Track and Field Chamipionships.

It really is an amazing streak. Depth wins championships. There are some really good Lebanon County teams. Every program is doing something right. We take great pride in this. You don’t know how hard it is to win 16 in-a-row. We don’t talk a whole lot about the streak, except once a year- the day before the County Meet. We can call this ‘Sweet 16.’ No one wants to be the one who ends the streak.” – Cedar Crest boys’ track and field coach Rob Bare.

“I’ve been telling them they’re (his players) a good team. But they didn’t play like a good team today. Coming into the season, I thought we had the  potential to finish first or second in the section. Our goals were to improve because we were really young at the beginning of the season. I thought we had done that up until today. I think our expectations were to get better as we went along. But we regressed a little bit today.” – Cedar Crest softball coach Jerry Stover, following a loss to first-place Hempfield.

“I’m very competitive. But winning isn’t everything. If we could get a win under our belt, it would be a positive for the girls. And yeah, I’d cherish it. It would be a positive statement for the girls and it would be a reward for their hard work. But winning doesn’t mean that much to me.” – Lebanon High softball coach Bill Hower.

“I don’t look at it that way (that they’re the defending district champs), and I don’t know if the kids do either. This is 2013, and our goals are still within reach – making the league and district playoffs, and being the best we can be, wherever that puts us.” – Ryan White on his 14 games as the head coach of the Cedar Crest baseball program.

“I think one’s starting to raise her hand, and that’s (junior catcher) Haley Hirn. But how do you learn how to be a leader? It’s not something they teach you in class. You either have to be born with it or learn it yourself. I still think the leader on the team is the guy who stands at third base. I don’t want to be, but they (his players) know it’s going to happen. Today it seemed to work for us. We lived to play another day.” – Annville-Cleona softball coach Dave Bentz on the elusive concept of leadership on his team.

“To me, it’s always been about pushing the team to a winning season. This is our sixth or seventh year of playing as a PIAA team. We are improving. Before it was all about fun and games. But now there’s nothing to joke about.” – Cedar Crest  girls’ lacrosse coach Emma Lebo, talking about her program’s evolution.

“I just hope they (her players) can come together consistently, and battle through for seven innings. I just want them to push themselves and believe in themselves. Hopefully we can make the postseason. It’s not about being .500 any more.” – Palmyra softball coach Kathy Wicker on the evolution of her program.

“I’m pleased with the way things turned out. I was never so happy about a wild pitch. McKenna (Achenbach) pitched a great game for five innings. But we left too many girls on base. We just couldn’t get the key hit I’ll take any  kind of win I can get. But I want them (his players) to get the confidence they need to be a winning team. We let the lead slip away, but they were confident they could score again. They kept their emotions up. They didn’t get down on themselves.” – Elco softball coach Dennis Morgan, describing a two-out, wild-pitch, walk-off win over Columbia.

“It’s huge. This is a game that was really big. Lower Dauphin is a dynasty. It’s always great to beat a great program. Unfortunately, that great program got us today. The good news is that we get another shot at them.” – Palmyra baseball coach John Karavage.

“In years past, when I was younger, there were always battles between Cedar Crest and Lebanon. I don’t have the stats as to which school has won more. But for me personally, you can’t take a team like Lebanon lightly. You’ve got to bring your best. We knew coming in that it was going to be a tough one,” added White. “We knew it was going to be a battle. We threw our number one (Conor Baweic). Their record doesn’t show how good Lebanon is, but the game showed it. We just had the heart to keep going and keep battling. ” – Cedar Crest baseball coach and graduate Ryan White on his program’s rivalry with Lebanon High.

“I’m very pleased with our effort. 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. And Lebanon’s on the rebound. It’s always nice to have a local meet.” – Cedar Crest boys’ track and field coach Rob Bare, speaking about a mid-season, non-league tri-meet with Lebanon and Annville-Cleona.

“You could sense the relief when I talked to them. There’s the thought that there’s pressure on them. But there’s pressure in baseball because there is so much failure. I don’t have to get on them about it. They’re like, ‘Coach, we’re not happy with how we’re playing.’ It did come out today, a little bit.” – Elco baseball coach Chris Weidner on snapping a season-opening, six-game slide, with a 19-4 win.

“It’s going good. We had six wins two years ago and we had seven wins last year. I definitely want to go .500 and get ten or 12 wins. The most we’ve ever had was 11. We have a couple of tough games coming up, so we have to pick it up.” – Palmyra boys’ lacrosse coach Jeff Gatano.

“One of our assets is the top of our lineup. We have good speed and that’s crucial in softball. She’s (Gable) got good speed and (lead-off hitter) Netanyia Valentin has got good speed. But we’re a young team. I think we’re going to get better as the season goes on. But we’ve got to have some success, like tonight.” – Cedar Crest softball coach Jerry Stover.

“It’s great. You just look at that list of past winners and there’s so many good players. It’s just cool to be a part of that. I wanted to win, but especially against Adam. We go back-and-forth.” – Lebanon County Boys’ Tennis Champion and Cedar Crest sophomore Colin Muriaka.

“My opinion is that you can’t forget about losses. We need to re-assess, fix it and move forward. We need to figure out what we need to do better, and what things we need to focus on. It seemed like everybody left their bats at home.” – Northern Lebanon softball coach Dale Kreiser.

“Our approach at the plate could’ve been better. The first time through we didn’t adjust against the big left-hander on the mound. But the second time through, we were patient, and it paid off. We hit the ball down the middle of the plate. I think that’s what got him out of the game. We knew our count, and when you do that it changes the dynamic of the game.” – Palmyra rookie baseball coach John Karavage on the concept of patience.

“He just pitches with a lot of confidence. He’s a battler. He’s very confident. He was working on top, and when you do that it gives you a lot of options later in the count.” – Annville-Cleona baseball coach Scott Shyda on pitcher Mitch Rodkey.

“My expectations coming into the season were that our pitching and defense were going to be fine. We’ve worked a lot on offense. Our bats are starting to come around. The girls are a year older. I think we’ll be in line to contend. We’ve just got to get over this game and step up. They (his players) have to come together and show that they can do it, and that’s offensively and defensively. If they can show they can win against a good team, they can take the next step.” – Elco softball coach Dennis Morgan.

“You’re exactly right. Our coaching staff was just talking about that. We don’t have 162 games to figure things out. Some of the players we know what they can do, while others we’re not as sure. You don’t have time to pull out of slumps. For some, each individual at-bat is meaningful, from a kid’s standpoint. We have two or three kids who are pressing, and it’s tough to watch. They know their chances are limited.” – Annville-Cleona baseball coach Scott Shyda on the length of the scholastic spring season.

“I felt good on the mound. I had good defense behind me. That’s all a pitcher can ask. The main thing as a pitcher is to get ahead. And battle back if you need to. My knuckleball, fastball and change-up were all working. When I want to get batters looking at something different, I’ll throw my knuckleball,” – Cedar Crest junior chucker Connor Bawiec on his one-hit shutout of Northern Lebanon.

“I’m a first-generation driver. We don’t have racing in our blood. I had to learn how to drive. My dad had to figure out how to work on and maintain a car. And my mom had to figure out how to be the mother of a driver.” – Elco freshman Amber Britto, an aspiring race-car driver.

“I don’t know if Annville-Cleona is surprised. We’ve been working hard for this. Mentally, it doesn’t matter who we play. In softball, any team on any given day, can win. This team is very close. They do a lot of things together.” – Palmyra softball coach Kathy Wicker on her club’s surprising season-opening triumph over Annville-Cleona.

“The biggest thing has been the player leadership. On the coaching end, nothing’s different. The kids coming up from the JV level, they want to win. To me, it’s all about the players and their personalities.” – Lebanon baseball coach Robert Nordall, about the new direction of his program.

“They will give me 100 percent, all the time. We might have a stinker from time to time, but we’re going to give every team a game. We’re reloading this year, not rebuilding. We can go as far as we did last year, and maybe one step further.” – Annville-Cleona softballl coach Dave Bentz.

“The big goal for me is I’m trying to instill in these kids to be better individuals, better me. I want them to play as a family, pick each other up. I’m a firm believer that if they work together, they’ll play above their abilities. The ability is there. It’s just a matter of making that ability shine.” – Palmyra rookie baseball manager John Karavage.

“I look at it as a whole new start, even though the coaching staff has pretty much returned as the same. No one’s going to take it easy on us because of what we did last year. In fact, we’re going to have a target on our back. Maybe it’ll help that we have a whole new group coming in. But I remind our guys that everyone starts 0-0.” – New Cedar Crest head baseball coach Ryan White.

“I definitely do have a chance to help do that. There’s a lot of ninth-graders playing football. They all look up to me and I know they do. Our JV basketball team this year lost four games, all by five points or less. When I’m a junior, look out for our basketball team. Remember this – we’re going to be good. I know I can’t do it myself. But I’m always on everyone to get into the weight room. But it’s not going to be crappy Cedar Crest any more.” – Cedar Crest freshman phenom Evan Horn, on changing the culture of Falcon athletics.

“I would say since we were 20-0, we played each game knowing we were going to lose some time. I’m going to talk about what we accomplished, the championships we won. It’ll be a positive talk, if I don’t cry.” – Palmyra girls’ basketball coach Ron Berman, about the post-game speech he was going to make to his players after the Cougars’ first loss ended their season.

“I enjoy it tremendously. I wouldn’t do it as long as I have if I didn’t. I love sports. I’m a huge sports fan, of many different sports. Part of it is the family I’m from. Sports were a major topic of discussion at the Fulk dinner table. I definitely enjoy being around kids. That’s what make it so much fun.” – New Elco head girls’ soccer coach Derek Fulk.

“It (Philadelphia teams coming into the PIAA) has changed it significantly. At the lower levels more than the upper levels. We’re a good single A team. But that wasn’t a single A team. But that’s how it is. The PIAA left them (Philly schools) in.” – Lebanon Catholic boys’ basketball coach Scott Clentimack on the changing face of the PIAA Class A playoffs.

“It certainly wasn’t the effort. They played incredibly hard. They played like a team whose season was on the line. We have nine seniors. It hurts because those guys care about their school, the program and most of all they care about each other. They’re hurting in there (the locker room).” – Palmyra boys’ basketball coach Pete Conrad on a season-ending loss in the opening round of the state playoffs.

“I thought I did OK. But I didn’t think I wrestled my best. The atmosphere here is a lot different. It’s more intense. I’ve just got to be more prepared next time.” – Annville-Cleona sophomore wrestler Jeffrey Inman on going 1-2 at the state wrestling tournament.

“I was getting nervous before the match. It took a lot of energy out of me. So I was a little slow at the start. I couldn’t get much going. When I got that (first) takedown, I knew the match was in my favor. I became more relaxed.” – Annville-Cleona sophomore 132-pounder Jeffrey Inman describing a win in his first career bout at the PIAA Class AA Wrestling Champions at Hershey’s Giant Center.

“Sometimes it’s great because you always have someone to do something with. But sometimes it’s a pain in the butt. I share a car. I share a room. It’s a lot of sharing.” – Palmyra senior guard Gabi Gundermann, on having four sisters.

“It’s not done. But if you put me on the spot, I’d say my favorite part of the project is the fitness center. That’s one of the nicest fitness centers you can go in, bar none, arguably anywhere, period, end of story. I’ve seen bigger, but when you look at the whole package, there’s none nicer. But I might be a little biased.” – Lebanon Valley Family YMCA Director of Operations Darin Pickles, talking about the Y’s $3million renovation project.

“Absolutely, we’ve gone beyond my expectations. Whoever thinks they’re going to have this kind of team or year? We lost three key players from last year’s team and that allowed others to step up and get more reps in practice. And those reps allowed the talent to come out.” – Palmyra girls’ basketball coach Ron Berman on his program’s first District Three Class AAA championship.

“I think it fits more of an academic analogy. Our seniors have graduated from the basketball program tonight. They leave a legacy for our school and in the community. They walked off the court heads held high, as they should have. I’m proud of my team, in victory or defeat.” – Lebanon Valley College women’s basketball coach Todd Goclowski, on the most successful class in program history.

“In practice, we shoot 40 or 50 foul shots each day. I just tried to stay focused and forget about the crowd, which wasn’t easy. I just tried to make it seem like another day at practice. I focused enough, at least on the first one. It was a good feeling after I made the first one.”  – Senior guard Timmy Orr on the free throw that won Lebanon Catholic’s fourth District Three Class A championship.

“We tried for years to go 94 feet (defensively), but it comes back to having athletes. Maria Tukis, Katie Dembrowski, Gabi Gundermann, they can run all day. And there’s no use holding back a thoroughbred.” – Palmyra girls’ basketball coach Ron Berman.

“This was an upset. Susquehanna Township was obviously the favorite coming in. They were picked to win by three. But I was trying to get to Vegas to get some of that.” – Palmyra boys’ basketball coach on his team’s surprising District Three Class AAA semifinal victory over top-seeded Susquehanna Township.

“It was a huge challenge without Carly there. It gave everybody the opportunity to see how other players could do. We’re not a one-man team. It showed off everybody else and how hard we play.” – Palmyra senior guard Gabi Gundermann on the challenge of playing without leading scorer Carly Richardson.

“Our preseason goals were to finish in the top of the section, and we finished second. And we wanted to take it a step further. We tried to build on last year’s goals. And we wanted to go to districts and win a game. We have gotten those goals tonight. But I told them (her players), ‘let’s not be content because we reached our goals.’ We could finish in the top three of our district.” – Annville-Cleona girls’ basketball coach Jamie Walborn, defining success the Little Dutchmen way.

“It’s an investment. Your return is not as money, it’s a return of life. I want to see a return on my investment, like people’s lives becoming better. It’s made the world a little bit better. It’s really inspiring. It’s a fabulous return.” – Local philanthropist Ed Arnold on the millions of dollars he has donated to Lebanon County athletics over the years.

“It’s bittersweet. Part of you thinks of what could’ve been and the other half thinks it could’ve been a lot worse. We could’ve fallen to pieces.” – Head coach Ken Battistelli on perhaps the most up and down girls’ basketball season in Northern Lebanon history.

“What we talked about in that situation was, ‘We’re shooting a lay-up when we’re up.’ You can take away the kids’ ability to attack. There were games when we were up and stopped. I think some of it had to do with our experience. We are very fortunate to have all these seniors who play in these situations before. Both coaches had their seat belts on them, as the kids made big play after big play.” – Palmyra boys’ basketball coach Pete Conrad, after his club opened the District Three Class AAA playoffs with a win at Gettysburg.

“I didn’t like to lose. I still have that expectation today. I also learned to work hard, and I came to understand the difference between men and women, that mentors are awesome, the importance of staying focused and never giving up and the importance of community support and family support. I was just so fortunate to have a great foundation. I think sports played a huge role, a significant role in how I am today.”  – Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello, speaking about the influence athletics had on her career.

“That part of it is out of my control. I opted to take a very small amount of fuel (on a late pit stop) based on the fact that we were getting very good gas mileage. It was extremely disappointing. We were leading the thing with a handful of laps to go.” – Lebanon stock-car racer Bobby Gerhart on the failed fuel pump which cost him his ninth ARCA Daytona 200 victory.

“I thought we had to play our best game to beat those guy. We did a good job. The biggest thing in the second half was we needed to make shots, and if we did, it would’ve been a different game. I thought we played well. Our kids competed, like they always do.” – Cedar Crest boys’ basketball coach Tom Smith, after his outfit fell to McCaskey in the Lancaster-Lebanon League championship game.

“It’s amazing to get this medal and to be able to wear it around my neck, Whenever you get a championship, the most important part is enjoying them all, not ranking them and never being satisfied.” – Junior Wing Carly Richardson, after the Palmyra girls’ basketball team won its first ever Mid-Penn Conference championship.

“You wouldn’t know this group hasn’t been to the playoffs in 30 years. This is a gutsy group. Our two seniors (Killian Klopp and Clay Penchard) are great leaders, and they bring out the best in everyone else. This team is mentally strong.” – Cedar Crest boys’ basketball coach Tom Smith.

“Defense is about desire, absolutely. There’s very little skill involved with defense. The bottom line is that if you take it upon yourself not to allow the other team to score, you’re going to win. They (her players) played their butts off. I couldn’t be more proud of them.” – Elco girls’ basketball coach Ashli Shay lamenting on the importance of defense in the postseason.

“We talked all week about how we liked to be here. It’s a privilege, an honor they (his players) earned. So I told them, ‘You deserve to be here, go out and enjoy it.’ I expected nothing less from this group.” – Cedar Crest head boys’ basketball coach Tom Smith, whose team competed in the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs for the first time in 37 years.

“It’s been a long season, but it’s been a great season. I told our guys, ‘This is going to be the last thing we do in the regular season as a team. Let’s get after it. If we do, we have a chance to come out on top.’ – Northern Lebanon head coach Rusty Wallace, after his outfit won the team championship at the Lebanon County wrestling tournament.

“I haven’t had much media discussion about it. I try not to talk about it. I will have a discussion about it if someone approaches me. I’m not going to say, ‘no comment’. That’s just as bad. It’s something that’s dear to my heart. I’m not going to change what you believe. But would I love to change your mind? Yeah.” – Olympic Gold Medalist and Lebanon native Jamie Beyerle-Gray on the issue of gun control.

“Absolutely, I’m pleased with the direction of the program. It’s fine. We’ve got to try to get good players and go from there. Recruiting is the key. It’s much easier to coach good players. Talent always prevails, on every level. Recruiting is important.” – Lebanon Valley head coach Brad McAlester on the health of his men’s basketball program.

“It is a marathon. You have to pace yourself. You have to take your time. And not get too excited about one performance or get too upset with another. I think our team does that well. It’s just the determination to keep going. We’ve just got to let go of our mistakes, because that allows us to compete and have successes.” – Lebanon Valley College women’s basketball coach Todd Goclowski.

“The last eight games we went 8-0, and that’s what we figured we needed. We made a living off winning ugly. But it’s a good night when Lebanon wins.” – Lebanon High boys’ basketball coach Tim  Speraw on his team finishing the regular season on a winning streak that got it to the posteason.

“One of the things we’ve had success with is we do not treat the Trinity game any differently than the Bishop McDevitt game. We do exactly the same things ever game. We never overlook a team and we never try to put more emphasis on a game. Now, and can you be up for 21, 22 games? You have to be a little lucky. You’ve got to play good when you need to play good, and sometimes you’ve got to play good enough.” – Palmyra girls’ basketball coach Ron Berman on his team’s pursuit of undefeated perfection.

“Overall, we wrestled fairly well. We lost the coin flip. That was an 18-point swing. When we lost that, I thought we would’ve won four more matches. We didn’t get the match-ups we wanted.” – Northern Lebanon wrestling coach Rusty Wallace on a pivotal coin flip prior to his team’s rare appearance in the District Three Class AA team tournament.

“No, the school has never come close to closing. Since I’ve been working here (1983), we were closing every year. But we’re still here. Whoever is saying that doesn’t keep up with Lebanon Catholic. We’re actively putting ourselves out there, and we haven’t tooted our own horns enough. It’s only getting better.” – Lebanon Catholic principal Rose Kury

“We try to use this tournament as preparation for sectionals and districts. We try to tell our guys that mentally, we want to use this to get ready. In a tournament like this, you’ve got to have a short memory. Obviously, we didn’t have all the outcomes we wanted, but the kids wrestled well.” – Northern Lebanon wrestling coach Rusty Wallace on his club’s performance at the Lancaster-Lebanon League Championships.

“We need to get to districts (to be considered a good team). We need to get to leagues. We need to get to the playoffs, and as many as possible.” – Lebanon boys’ basketball coach Tim Speraw.

“When I look at them I see us. We almost have the same type of team. They don’t have a lot of seniors, and we have two. I see us tangling with them, and Northern Lebanon, in the future. A couple of teams with a bunch of good, young wrestlers.” – Annville-Cleona head wrestling coach Mike Miller, speaking about his program’s rivalry with Elco.

“I think we have some great individuals who are a good team, learning to be a great team. When we take advantage of all of our players’ skills, we have the ability to be a very, very good team. I wouldn’t want to play us down the stretch, with the section on the line.” – Lebanon High Girls’ Basketball Coach Ben Brewer, on his club’s final four games of the 2012-13 campaign.

“I don’t think in the Lancaster-Lebanon league there’s a duo like us. We have the best of both worlds on our team. We have both sides of the ball covered. I’ll go as far as to say we’re the best one-two guard combo in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.” – Northern Lebanon junior guard Sammy Light, on his on-court relationship with fellow junior Richard Iwuagwu.

“Chris (Pope) always tells me, ‘I brought you down here to mentor me, to help me become a better coach’. Coach has to throttle me down sometimes. My wife does it too. My daughters do it too. You don’t think I’ve toned it down? I’ve got to know I’m not the head coach any more. I was a lieutenant in the marine corps, not a general. When you’re an assistant you can get closer to the kids. You can have a good rapport with the kids. Chris always tells me, ‘Coach, I brought you in here to help me do it, but I don’t want you to do it for me.’ Chris is a good communicator.  He says, ‘If you can make me a better coach, do it.'” – Long-time coach and former Hershey High head man Robert ‘Gump’ May on being an assistant football coach at Palmyra.

“I just really enjoy what I’m doing. It’s been a part of my life forever. I’m hoping the future of the track is my son taking over. I wanted to keep my dad’s legacy alive. When racing is in your blood, you need to do something. He built a race track, and named it after me. I’m the youngest of seven children. He just decided, ‘Linda’s Speedway’.” – Linda Batz, owner and operator of Linda’s Speedway in Jonestown.

“Everything went our way, Early on we got a turnover, got a short field and scored. I don’t think it was anything more than that. I thought their (Lebanon’s) kids played hard. I thought we played pretty hard on defense all night. I’m proud of our kids. I’m happy for our coaches. It jut happens that way sometimes. We’ve been on the other side of that and you can’t stop it.” – Cedar Crest head football coach Tom Waranavage, after his team scored an historic 67-0 over rival Lebanon High in the Cedar Bowl.

“It’s a prestigious tournament. All of the county tournaments I try to play in. It’s our tournament. It’s our championship. I know most people don’t think so, but to me it’s as important as the Sullivan tournament. I get up for this as much as I get up for that. I’m excited. I finally did it. I’m running out of time. This is my first time play with Dave, but I think I came in third (with other partners) a couple of times. Lately, it’s been like the first flight.” – Bill Massar, Jr., on teaming with Dave Berkheimer to win the 2012 Lebanon County Better-ball-of-partners golf tournament.

“Well, I mean… Right now I’d say there’s no game plan. Just one step at a time. Yeah, I know what I have to do. It’s just not happening. I’ve just got to keep practicing, I guess.”  – Lebanon native Blaine Peffley on the uncertaintity of his professional golf future, in  light of recent back difficulties.

“A crew chief is really a manager. You’ve got to manage the program with the car and you’ve got to manage people. You’ve got to listen and take advice. Sometimes fresh ideas are good things. You’ve got to be a coach and a cheerleader. I think some of the guys on our team look up to Bobby and I. But we’re not easy to work for at the race track because we take racing very seriously. We’re both like that. We both give off an impression of being unapproachable. It’s just an intensity we have. Sometimes he’s hard to work with, just like sometimes I’m  hard to work with. But as brothers, we’ve always stuck together.” – Lebanon’s Billy Gerhart on being brother and racer Bobby Gerhart’s crew chief.

 “Every once in a while when I’m doing e-mails or scheduling, it hits me like ‘Not many have an opportunity to become a head coach at your age’. But if you dwell on it, you start questioning yourself. I’ve just got to tell myself, ‘Travis, you got the job. Now it’s time to do the job. I’m ten hours away from home. I applied for the coaching job and I got it. Besides my application, they (EMCC administration) didn’t have a clue as to who I was. But I got the job for a reason. God put me up here for a reason. There’s no time to second-guess why I’m here.” – Elco graduate Travis Thome on becoming a collegiate head baseball coach at the age of 23.

“They’re tough right now, especially the newer stuff. The older stuff has some value, but even that is difficult to move. I get a lot of calls from people trying to sell cards. Anything in the mid 80s up is a tough sell. Anything in the 70s  is so-so. From the 60s and back, they’re sell-able, but it all depends on the condition. There’s probably a couple of explanations,” Breidenstine added. “In the late 80s and early 90s, cards were really popular and they over-produced them. To collect all the cards became very difficult, next to impossible. Then the prices declined.” – Lebanon resident and local trading card collector Terry Breidenstine.

“Going into this Olympics, I thought I could retire after these games. But being in the Olympic village and catching the Olympic spirit, it’s addicting. I thought it was going to be a difficult decision, but it wasn’t. Yeah, the gold medal pretty much helped me make up my mind. I knew I’d come home after the games and think about it. You want more as an athlete. And I want more. But it’s not all about the medals. That’s the icing on the cake. The Olympic experience is something that can’t be duplicated.” – Olympic gold medalist and Lebanon native Jamie Beyerle-Gray on her decision to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympic games.

“Unless you’re involved with sports, I don’t think people know that. And we’re not talking about just those players who have gone on to be professionals. Our coaches who have been so dedicated and the young people who play the sports. That’s dedication. It’s a select group, but a lot of people think it’s (sports) a waste of time. I just think it’s a part of Lebanon County’s history. It’s a part of Lebanon County that the majority of people don’t know about or care about. But we kind of owe them for the time they have given.” – Lebanon County Historical Society president Barb Gaffney on the locale’s rich tradition in athletics.

“It’s really hard to put into words. There’s so many great emotions. It’s such a great time. You’re almost in tears during the opening ceremonies when you’re walking around the track. When you hear everyone chanting, “USA” it’s remarkable how proud you are. It’s really amazing. And hearing the national anthem at our first game is going to be really emotional. We’re all brought together by the patriotism we have.” – United States Olympic field hockey goalie and Lebanon County native Amy Tran-Swenson on representing her country in the Olympics.

“You can’t balance an elephant on your head. But I can. And it can be a message about you. That’s the liberty an artist has. That’s what makes it fun.Sometimes I’m not mentally ready to sit down and enjoy it. The hardest part is thinking about it before I put it down on paper. I do get stale if I go bang, bang, bang. None of them (the illustrations) are the same. They’re all personalized. You can’t sit down and throw it out or it gets monotonous. I like to feel like I gave it my best thought.” – Lebanon County native and illustrator Phil Karli.

“Honestly, everyone talks about medaling, but it’s more about doing your best. For me, the goal is to go in there and have a good performance. The focus is on me and the target. That’s all I can do. And hopefully that’s good enough. So many people get wrapped up in outward goals. The thing you can control is your performance. You can look at the competition, who the heavy hitters are, but it really doesn’t matter. The unique thing about shooting is that it’s 100-percent an individual sport. It’s you and the target. If someone shoots a world record, you can’t do anything about it. You’re competing against yourself.” – Lebanon native Jamie Beyerle-Gray, a week before winning a gold medal at the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games.

“It’s been my Achilles Heel, no doubt. It’s a place I’ve always worked very hard to run very well at, maybe too hard. I’ve had some good runs there, some solid finishes. But I’ve probably also had my worst days in racing there. It’s (Pocono) taken, from a race-driver’s perspective, a lot out of me. It’s things I’ve tried to put back into me. I’ve been hurt there a couple of times. And I had two extended hospital stays from accidents. You can put it aside, but you understand how demanding the track is. The place has my respect because of that.” – local stock-car racer Bobby Gerhart on his difficulties at Pocono Raceway over the years.

“Faith is huge. Without that you’re fighting an unwinable fight. None of us gets out of here alive and none of us knows our expiration date. In the long run, this has strengthened our family. It has strengthened our walk with God. It’s a faith challenging situation and also a faith strengthening situation.” – Local golf professional Ben Witter on his on-going battle with cancer.

“These guys are way better than I am. I can compete on a good day. They’re at the top level everyday. I’m more curious to see how the other local guys are going to do. This year there’s more local guys than ever.” – Local bowler Michael Houtz of Myerstown, on competing against touring professionals at Lebanon’s Cedar Lanes.

“We know how the program runs. I don’t think that’s a big deal any more. Kirk Keppley’s the new coach (of Elco’s boys’ soccer program). He’s a great guy. I don’t think there’s any competition any more. We just want to get kids out.” – Elco first-year head football coach Bob Miller on the perceived competition between football and boys’ soccer at the school.

“It wasn’t like I was waiting to turn 50 so I could play. But I know most of these guys. It’s like playing with your buddies. I wanted to come here and play well, and where the chips fell, they fell. I would’ve been disappointed if I shot 80.” – 50-year-old Tim Leeper after winning the Lebanon County senior amateur golf championship  during his first year of eligibility.

“We’ve lost a lot of our talent pool to travel ball. If I think back to ’04 when I was playing, all the high-level baseball talent, they played legion ball all the way through. I’d say it’s about six years that this whole travel ball thing has come around. But I definitely think for the kids who have the talent it’s a good exposure thing.” – Myerstown American Legion baseball head coach John Mentzer on the effect of ‘travel ball’ on Lebanon County’s summer talent level.

“It started pretty early. Back in the t-ball days, when I made an out, I’d cry. Once I moved out of recreational play, it really kicked in. How it is now that began, I’d say around 13 or around my freshman year of high school sports. Part of it comes from that I’m very hard on myself. I demand the best from myself. I am very focused out there. When I’m on the court, I’m very business-like. I don’t like to lose so I do the best I can.” – Palmyra senior student-athlete Colby Conway on his very serious approach to sports.

“It’s a great place to work. I’m ecstatic to be here. There’s a lot of qualified people out there. Coach Bohannon has to do what he thinks is best for the school district and the kids. I’d be grateful for an opportunity to be part of the process. They got a number of qualified applicants. They’ve got a decision to make. I just hope I’m part of the process.” – Elco defensive coordinator John Carley, on applying for the Raiders head coaching position that ultimately went to Bob Miller.

“I’d love to do it. I’ll be shocked if I don’t get it. But who knows. My resume was fantastic. But you never know what they’re (the Palmyra administration) thinking. I’m not ready to give it up. I helped build all of this (the renovated Palmyra High School baseball field) with my hands. If I don’t get it, I’m going to coach somewhere. I just like the game. I love it.” – Campbelltown American Legion baseball coach Tim Morgan, on applying for the vacant head baseball coaching position at Palmyra High School, one which Morgan ultimately didn’t get.

“This is probably the most satisfying victory I’ve ever had. This is two days. The senior’s one. This is the championship of Lebanon County golf. This is up there.” – 57-year-old Tony Deraco, a former senior champion after winning his first Lebanon County Amateur Golf championship.

“Steve Oliver did a great job of bringing stability to the program. I’ve been the longest tenured head coach consecutively. My career record isn’t great, but we’re not in a football hot bed here. I think we’ve raised the bar. We’re not everyone’s homecoming game any more. I’ve invested a lot of blood, sweat and soul into the program. I’ve still maintained some level of enthusiasm. I’m the same involved person I was when I started. I’ve certainly gotten smarter. Experience is a great teacher. To me, I think I’ve grown as a head coach. I’m a better football coach. The passion for the game hasn’t waned. I’ve always been a big motivational guy. Leaders are made, not born.” – Mark Evans on leaving his Elco head football coaching position to take a similar one at Manheim Township.

“We’re going to play football under the lights at some point, but it won’t be this year. It’s a scheduling issue. It’s not likely in 2013 either. We working on the possibility of 2014. Maybe F&M for the opening game. They’re already on the schedule for 2014. There’s nothing definite. We’re looking down the road.’ – Lebanon Valley College athletic director Rick Beard on the possibility of the Flying Dutchmen playing football under the lights in the future.

“I think that was the most difficult part. Since it took so long and my brother and I have full-time jobs, it was staying with it. You do that, question yourself. A lot of things happen. Equipment breaks down. You break down. You do question yourself. We spent two or three years just kind of carving around trees. We did a lot of burning of trees. We put the last green in two years ago. And there’s always township concerns.” – North Lebanon township resident Tom Reinbold on building his own golf course in Hamlin.

“This game and week is the beginning of my college career. This isn’t a normal high school game. It’s more like a college game. The talent level is unbelievable. It’s a great end to  my high school career. It’s the way I want to go out.” – Palmyra senior linebacker Jon Hicks on playing in the Big 33 game.

“It sounds better than it is. But it helps me meet women. “What do you do for a living?’ ‘I’m a sports editor at a newspaper.’ But I’m sure there are a thousand journalists my age who would like to have this position. It wasn’t a goal. But when you have a kid who has interest in things you always wonder how that’s going to equate into a job. But I had a flair for the dramatic. When I was like eight or ten, I would play nintendo and announce the game I was playing. I wanted an account of the game. I always enjoyed that.” – Elco graduate Drew Weidman on being the Hummelstown Sun’s sports editor at the age of 28.

“I still love it. I watch baseball all the time. I might not do it as much as I used to, but I’m still going to get out to games. I was a bat boy when I was three or four years old in Twilight (League). It’s (stepping aside) definitely going to be a life-changing thing. My wife could never understand, If you look at all the time you put into it, we figured it out one time and the salary was like a penny an hour. It wasn’t a job. It was something I liked to do.” – Tim Gingrich describing the 19 years he spent as Palmyra’s head baseball coach.

“I think we lived up to our abilities. It’s tough to over-achieve when you have a group of seniors who already achieved so much. Over-achieving would’ve been winning a state championship. It’s a lot tougher to live up to goals than you think. So many things can happen. Injuries, grades, other circumstances. It’s (reaching goals) probably tougher than over-achieving. When you have pressure and it’s your last chance to do some great thing, it’s tough to do them.” – Credar Crest head boys’ tennis coach Mike Rohrbach on the Falcons’ magical spring.

“I play badminton regularly, and sometimes when I’m getting a drink of water in the hall I’ll see the guys come out of the weight-lifting room. I’ll ask them if they want to play badminton. Most of the times they say no. But one day this guy said yes. I asked him, “How do you want me to play? A lot of mercy? Some mercy? Or no mercy?’ I played him and beat him. And when he said he wanted another game, I was so happy. Then he almost beat me.” – 82-year-old Alma Shank on her prowess at badminton.

“The game has definitely changed in the area that surrounds it, The game itself hasn’t changed. Parent pressure on their kids to succeed and parent pressure on the program has increased. When coaches are hired it’s to make decisions that are best for the program. Kids have pressure because parents want them to succeed. And when they don’t, they (parents) lash out at the coaching. There are so many intangibles with the game of baseball that affects how much kids play. Yes, kids have definitely changed since the 70s, that’s four decades. They’re definitely bigger and stronger, which makes the game faster. But kids are told at a young age they’re great, and they think because they were good at the midget level they’re going to be great at the next level.” – Annville-Cleona baseball coach Mike Capriotti on how the game of high school baseball has changed over the years.

“We didn’t come to play. We played our game yesterday, or the last two days. Or maybe it was three trips in-a-row. If you’re not ready to play a district championship game, something’s wrong, This is a district championship game.” –  Annville-Cleona softball coach Dave Bentz after a loss to Kutztown in the Class AA final.

“It is expensive financially, and a lot of red tape. You get run through the ringers. I think there’s costs involved that could be avoided. Cost is a deterrent to some people, but it shouldn’t be. Most of the money we’ve used has been raised through fund-raising. We’ve had anonymous donations, and some have given thousands of dollars. We’ve kind of taken two different approaches. The one is, if people don’t know your needs they can’t help. There are people who want to help and don’t know where to give. We try to make the focus on the child. It’s not about us. There’s another process where you make it a more private request to God, and allow Him to move others hearts. It’s just amazing how He’s saved the least. It’s been a neat journey so far. Most of the money comes from donors or fund-raising, or we couldn’t do it.” – Cedar Crest assistant girls’ soccer coach Brian Carpenter on the costs of serial adoption.

“The position was different than I thought it would be,. Having coached 22 years, I had a sense of what goes on (in being an AD). I go to games anyways. To me it wasn’t a big deal to be there as an athletic director. But I have to be there Everybody’s sport is the most important one to them. Because of the learning curve, I rarely left my office before 5 (p.m.), and then I’m trying to get to a game. I was slower than someone who has been doing it for a while. It’s an endless job. There’s no down time.” – Terri Johnston on serving one year as Lebanon High School’s athletic director.

“All four years, they (the seniors) made it to districts, as far as I know, no other class at Lebanon Catholic has ever done that. (Before the season) the seniors came to my door and asked me to coach. That’s why I’m here. This is the best summer I’ve ever had. Yes, any time you make district playoffs (its a successful season). That was our goal. The seniors have been here three years in-a-row, and I didn’t want to be the guy who left them down.” – Lebanon Catholic rookie baseball coach Scott Hargett on the Beavers’ 2012 spring.

“I gave it everything I had, No it wasn’t anything I ate. I just puked because I was tired. I just won that race on heart. I just have a big heart. Why did I do it? I got first. It’ll just hurt for the next 20 minutes It motivates me that all the talk goes to them (Strynkowski, Mason, Wolfe and Cedar Crest’s Shaun Ditzler). It’s never about me.” – Elco senior runner Drew Gerberich after becoming physically ill at the conclusion of winning the Class AAA 1600-meter run at the District Three Track and Field Championships.

“During my tenure, the last time we received this much media attention was in (20)05 when our field hockey and boys’ soccer teams were in state championship games on the same day. It (this season) was a media frenzy. I can not provide documentation, but the pillars in the community assure me that this (level of success) has never happened before. That’s fair to say. As far as I remember, this is the most success we’ve had in athletics, possibly ever.” – Palmyra athletic director Brian Weidler recounting the overall success that the Cougars enjoyed during the 2011-12 scholastic sports season.

“Yes. Absolutely. I think about it all the time. I never said, ‘This is where I want to be.’ I couldn’t imagine that I could be among some of the best runners at Cedar Crest. I tried my best and it’s been paying off. I’m happy, but not satisfied. I’m not going to stop improving now.” – Cedar Crest senior Bryce Ebersole on the drastic improvements he made as a long-distance runner.

“It’s all right, I guess. I was going for first in all four events. I wanted four golds, but I’ll take two. The one I enjoy most is probably the long jump. That’s probably my favorite one. I don’t feel like it’s my best event, but in that one I feel like there’s so much room for getting better.” – Elco senior jumper/hurdler Nate Litschi on winning two gold medals at the Lancaster-Lebanon League Track and Field Championships.

“If someone asked me ten years ago if we’d like to host it, I would’ve said ‘Sure’, But now, I’m a traditionalist. It feels right to come here. It feels good to come here. That’s a good question. I’m sure we’d like to host it some year, as long as my assistant coaches did all the work.” – Cedar Crest boys’ track and field coach Rob Bare, on the prospect of moving the Lebanon County Track and Field Meet.

“As an athletic director, I was very disappointed. I’m more disappointed we can’t get the kids to participate. It seems like they’re putting other things ahead of athletics, and I think they’ll regret that later in life. I know that participation has dropped at other schools as well. We’re getting that many sports that we’re watering down the athletic pool.” – Lebanon Catholic athletic director Mike Miller on his school not being able to sponsor a girls’ soccer team in the  spring of 2012.

“Coming in, I expected some good competition, which there was. The great thing was that it pushed me harder.  Actually, I was targetting that record. I was looking to win the 400 and 200, and my expectation in the 100 was to be second. But I ended up coming through with the victory. I like all of those events. But my favorite has got to be the 400. It’s the most tiring, but the one I like the most.” – Northern Lebanon sprinter Joe Vedilago, after winning the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes at the Lebanon County Track and Field Championships and being named the event’s Outstanding Male Athlete.

“Us winning the championship was more important to me, because it’s our team. Yeah, this is important, but I’d rather have our team do well. Actually, I wasn’t expecting it at all. The weather stayed good and we had a good day. Everyone stepped up and we did really well. We were having a good regular season, so this wasn’t unexpected. It’s exciting. Really exciting.” – Palmyra freshman Katie Dembrowski, after leading the Cougars to the team championship at the Lebanon County Track and Field Championships and being named the Outstanding Female Athlete.

“On my team, I’m number ten. I know I’m not the best player, but I’m in a wheelchair. I want to get it (the word) out there. Even though you’re disabled you can do amazing things and can compete with other players. When I first started I knew how to push a wheelchair. It’s definitely different holding a tennis racquet in your hand and holding a wheelchair in your hand. If I don’t put a point away early, then they (his opponents) can lob it over my head and I won’t be able to get it. There’s more strategy in wheelchair tennis. You’ve got to be able to think things through.” – Cedar Crest junior Ryan Neiswender, who plays tennis in a wheelchair.

“It’s a no-recruit sport. We don’t beg kids to come out. It’s fast-paced. It’s easier than football. Football is a grind. It’s work. This, a lot of times, is more play, even though a lot of work still goes into it. Kids today, they like things moving, they like things changing. As far as the county goes, our numbers are growing. More kids come out because the skill levels aren’t really different. I’ll be interested to see how things change for us in the next few years. In ten years, I expect Cedar Crest to be a lot better. There’s a lot of factors, but getting them out is number one.” – Cedar Crest boys’ lacrosse coach Brian Powers.

 “I think the lack of numbers in terms of pitchers has hurt us. We have guys who can throw the ball, but we’re thin. At the start of the season I thought we were going to compete every game. Show teams we were better and scrape out runs. That’s all these kids need, a step in the positive direction. Then you get a snowball effect.” – Lebanon head coach Robert Nordall on his baseball program’s struggles this spring.

“I kind of thought about it when Coach (Ryan O’Donnell) left, because no one was happy about it. I heard he (Scott Hargett) was going to put me somewhere else. Then he told me I’d be put at shortstop. I’m very happy at shortstop, but I told him it really didn’t matter. I’d play wherever he needed me. It’s my senior year. I just want to win. Our former coach had faith in me. I practiced there, felt good there, looked good there. I don’t do anything special. It’s routine plays. I just make the plays that need to be made.” – Lebanon Catholic’s southpaw shortstop Andrew Hainly

“She was pretty much spot on. She’s not going to blow anyone away. Some of these bigger teams are looking for heat and they’re not going to get it from us. That’s her way. That’s her nature. She’s not a big kid. But she’s been throwing strikes. Lately, she’s been getting on top.”  – Annville-Cleona head coach Dave Bentz on sophomore hurler Chrisi Lerchen.

“Education is number one and golf is number two. This is fun. I really enjoy spending time with the kids and getting to know them. I get their grades sent to me so I kind of get to keep tabs on their educations. That’s the difference between giving someone a golf lesson and coaching, I get into their lives a little more. I probably don’t spend as much time teaching as I’d like to. Time is so short. I don’t have a whole lot of time with their games. You never know who’s going to come out to practice. But if they’re struggling one of the coaches is definitely going to help them with their games.” – Lebanon Valley College golf coach Mike Swisher.

“More of my friends are on the tennis team. They didn’t talk me into it. I talked myself into it. But they were in my ear about it.”  – Lebanon senior Alex Trautman on choosing to play tennis over baseball.

“It makes you feel good. I’m just a part of it. There’s a lot of people who participate. It’s more of a ‘We’ thing. Over the years there have been a lot of people who have stepped up. It’s a lot of work and a lot of fun. Over the years it has become easier. Early on it was more difficult. And then all of a sudden it became easier because people jumped on board. I hear people say, ‘Yeah, I lost my mom.’ Or, ‘Yeah, I lost my dad.’ Cancer does not discriminate. For me, it’s a way to keep her (his mom) alive in me.” – Tom Gerhart on his local sports memorabilia auction.

“It’s something that came up. I don’t do this often. I’m not typically a person who would go out and do this, but I might have even splurged a little more. I probably would’ve gone a little more for it, just because it’s something I always wanted.” – Northern Lebanon baseball coach Daryl Hess on spending several hundred dollars on a picture of Cincinnati’s ‘Big Red Machine’.

“Last year we missed getting into districts by seven-tenths of a point. We want to set the bar high and get to the postseason, whether we’re young or not. That 3-0 start was helpful in building that mindset. What we’re preaching is we want to keep it going. For the sophomores watching the approach of an Lampeter-Strasburg was a positive. They’re still learning. That’s what we can take from today. They’re still feeling their way. It’s that growing curve, knowing what it takes to compete on the varsity level.” – Elco baseball coach Chris Weidner following a promising loss to perennial power L-S.

“I’m just trying to bring them (her players) all together and have the light bulb come on. They just have to know what they can do. Once they come together, they’ll be fine. Yeah, they seem to be upbeat. At practices, they’re all there. But they freeze up in games. We’ve got to try not to be practice players.” – Palmyra softball coach Kathy Wicker on her club’s early season struggles.

“At the end of the game, they (the Little Dutchmen) got a nice goal. But I didn’t want to give up a goal. We wanted a clean (score) sheet. In general, that game should have not been that close. We didn’t do the little things.”  – Northern Lebanon girls’ soccer coach Andrew Raudensky after his team’s 2-1 win over Annville-Cleona

“These guys have played for me and I knew their strengths and weaknesses. I told them in the gym, ‘If we’re not district champs, I should be fired.’ This team has been to districts the last three years, so I don’t want to screw it up. But I’d like us to win a couple more games in districts.”  – Scott Hargett on his first season as the Lebanon Catholic baseball coach.

“When I look at Lebanon I see a group of athletes who play hard. These guys (the Cedars) know how to play tennis. They all have great strokes. They’re athletes, they’re working hard and they’re playing the game the right way. That is definitely one of the best Lebanon teams I’ve ever seen. They’re going to beat a lot of people this year.”  – Cedar Crest tennis coach Gary Rohrbach on rival Lebanon High.

“The goal is always to go 1-0. Past that, we want to get to the post-season. We want to take championships as they come. ” – Cedar Crest baseball coach Chris Groff on his club’s goals for 2012.

“Some hoopers don’t hoop with music. The main key is about your flow, the continuation of movement. Once you have the fundamentals down, then everyone’s style comes out on its own There’s actually been studies confirming the relaxing qualities of hooping. It’s a way to get your mind off things. It helps you feel like a kid again, dancing, moving.” – Lebanon resident Gloria Guardiola on the latest exercise fad, hoop dance.

“You know there’s probably only one bad seat in the house, and that’s the seat right next to the other team’s goalie. He’s usually standing up, so if you’re sitting there it’s tough to see. You end up looking at the scoreboard all game and your neck gets to hurting.” – Lebanon resident and Hershey’ Bears’ season-ticket holder Bill Werner on watching an AHL game at Giant Center.

“For most guys who retire, they’ll still need to find work, with the way the economy is today. Let’s face facts. The more you make, the more you spend. They’re used to a certain lifestyle. I’d be bored stiff if I didn’t have to go to work. There’s only so much golf I can play. And if I didn’t have to work, I’d be really fat. Playing in the AHL, you can make a very good living. And I’m talking the average salary. But you’re going to have to work when you retire.” – AHL Hall-of-Famer and former Hershey Bear Mitch Lamoureux on retiring at the age of 36.

“I don’t know that He’s ever told me what teams He’s for. Hopefully there are things taught through sports, like good sportsmanship, team work, comraderie. They’re all goods. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and we need to take care of them. Sports is one way to do that. Now, does He cheer for certain teams, or Notre Dame?. I don’t think so.” – St. Cecilia’s pastor Father Joe Scanlin, when asked if God is a sports’ fan.

“It’s like a story book. I’ve done it so long, and I don’t like to compare victories. We sort of flew under the radar a little this year. But this is important because they (her players) got this reward. This was emotional. I’m just happy for the girls. Maybe one year against Reading Central Catholic we were this big of an underdog. But we didn’t win that year. It was weird going to sit on the other (visitors’) bench. It was weird wearing blue. But we got this (the gold medal) and that’s all that matters.” – Lebanon Catholic girls’ basketball coach Patti Hower on her program’s 17th District Three Class A championship.

“It doesn’t feel like 50 years. It seems like yesterday. That’s one of the things for me. It’s hard to remember yesterday or the day before. But I can remember 40 or 50 years ago, and it seems like yesterday. I’m having trouble with my short-term memory.” – Lebanon resident Kerry Ryman remembering the night 50 years ago when he stole the ball Wilt Chamberlain used to score his 100th point at Hersheypark Arena.

“That (the player defections) has something to do with it. When you lose kids, it’s a downer on the girls who are left. It hurts the girls in practice. If you can’t scrimmage, you can’t simulate game situations. I told them, ‘You guys have to realize what you did’. It’s a long season. They stuck it out. At the end, they were physically worn down. But we made it to the second round of districts.” – Annville-Cleona girls’ basketball coach Jamie Podjed on her team’s late-season struggles.

“Well, I was born in the best town ever…Chocolate Town, USA, and am a brown bear, so naturally I was given the name Coco.” – Hershey Bears’ mascot Coco.

“I was actually saddened when I learned of Joe’s passing. It was so sad how he went at the end. It was crazy how things spiralled. It’s hard to sum up the person he was in one sentence. He was passionate. He was passionate about coaching and his players. You hear so many stories about Joe making phone calls for referrals for guys with regular jobs. And he really backed up his players.” – Lebanon native and Penn State graduate Jared Odrick on the death of Joe Paterno.

“I’m at everything, just like I was healthy and playing. You’re still a part of the team if you’re injured. It’s important to be there for my teammates and cheer them on. My teammates were so supportive of me when I went through my injury last year. So I just feel like I have to return the favor and be supportive of them. I love being around the girls and coaches. I couldn’t see myself not being part of the team.” – Lebanon Valley College women’s basketball fifth-year senior Eryn Schultz reflecting on the second knee injury of her career.

“I just wanted to get to Giant Center. That was definitely the biggest shot I ever hit. No, I never hit a game-winner before.” – Palmyra guard Chris Lynn after hitting a scoop shot with two seconds left to beat Donegal 50-49 in the Cougars’ opening-round game in the District Three Class AAA playoffs.

“That last lap was like a dream. I knew nothing was coming from behind me. The only shot I had was to go high. I learned a long time ago to take what’s in front of you. I nevever gave up on this hot rod. Never. Never. Never. Unbelievable. Wow. I had a nice run on the last lap. I wanted to sit on the outside of the leader and see what happens. I had nothing to lose and there it was.” – Lebanon resident Bobby Gerhart on winning his record eighth ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway

“I was responsible for 20 of those losses. It seems like a long time ago because they (his players) have grown so much, matured so much since then. All the guys you saw tonight – eight of the nine – were part of that. It’s an achievement when you see where we came from. It’s a stepping stone. We hope it’s the beginning of a journey, not a destination.” – Palmyra boys’ basketball coach Pete Conrad on his program’s evolutsion from doormat to playoff qualifiers.

“My main job is to win games. I need to score and distribute, both at the same time. I felt like I’ve done it as well as I can. My numbers are down from last year. But if we’re shooting 30 percent across the board, there’s not going to be assists for anyone. I really don’t have personal goals. I just want to play well, hopefully play well enough to get my team to a championship. As far as Player of the Year or All-American, I don’t worry about that stuff as much. To be honest, you don’t get those things if your team is 10-15 at the end of the year.” – Lebanon Valley senior point guard Joey Meehan on his role on the team.

“One more and I tie the school record. Last year, Brent Balmer came up to me and said, ‘I hope you break my record’. So that kind of motivated me. If I could do that I would be at a loss for words. When I started in elementary school, I never would’ve thought I was going to break the record. But it was just dedication, and things happened.” – Cedar Crest senior wrestler Sean Hughes on breaking the school record for wins in a career.

“Maybe the reason they (his players) are tough is because I don’t think they’re tough. I’m tough on them. To call us tough, that’s an awesome way for your opponent to describe you. I want us to be very tough. We’ve been in a ton of close games and we’ve won most of those close games. So I guess we are mentally tough.” – Northern Lebanon girls’ basketball coach Ken Battistelli on the mental make-up of his squad.

“It’s the best case scenario when something bad like that happens and it puts a little more perspective on things. You know your life can end like that. It just further motivates you to go harder everyday, and not only work for yourself, but also your teammates, because you realize how precious life is.” – Elco senior wrestler Tommy Price, who was involved in a serious car accident at the beginning of the season.

“I think it’s huge. The TV ratings say it’s one of the most watched – if not the most watched – shows in the year. The advertising money and ratings tell you how big it is. The next day everyone’s talking about the game or the commercials. I would say that it’s the biggest sporting event in the country. The fact that it’s one game and and not a series increases its interest. The other major sports decided their champions with a series. Plus, football is king. It’s not baseball any more. And this is the culmination of a season.” – Lebanon Daily News sports editor Mike Givler on the impact of the Super Bowl on American culture.

“We try to teach team. We talk about playing hard, playing smart, playing together and having fun. Help is playing together. You rebound together. You defend together. You do things to try to help your teammates. I don’t want to blow our own horn, but there’s a reason we’ve had 12 winning seasons in-a-row. We haven’t had one Division One player and everyone out there plays at least two sports. We’re not a basketball school.” – Palmyra girls’ basketball coach Ron Berman on his program’s success.

“What I discovered is that it’s (swimming) really, really, really hard. If I would’ve known it was this strenuous, I probably wouldn’t have come out. Football is really physically straining and mentally draining. Swimming is not mentally strenuous, but it is physically straining. It’s kind of relaxing for my mind. It’s nice to have time to ponder things and think.” – Palmyra senior George Robertson on the differences between swimming and football.

“I think so. They just have too much balance for the rest of the teams in the section. I don’t know who’s going to win it. I don’t know. They’re (Elco and Annville-Cleona) always fun to watch wrestle. They’ve got enough numbers to bump around. I don’t want to pick that one.” – Northern Lebanon wrestling coach Rusty Wallace on which team will win the Lancaster-Lebanon Section Three championship, Annville-Cleona or Elco.

“It’s a completely different group. We lost 14 seniors and 750 (career) wins. That’s a lot of individual wins. It’s a new group. The kids don’t know anything but winning, and they expect it. So far, so good. The kids have bought into the program. They’re buying what we’re selling. I have a great group of junior high coaches. And when you have consistency in coaching it helps. These guys are saying, ‘We don’t want to be the guys who break the streak.” – head coach Mike Miller on his budding Annville-Cleona wrestling program

“I think Annville should always contend for a section title. I know what kind of kids are here. There’s always been that ‘play hard’ approach. I think this team has a high ceiling as far as athletes go.” – Annville-Cleona boys’ basketball coach Justin Edwards, himself a former Little Dutchman player.

“I would just say think of it as an opportunity you might not get later on. If you’re given the opportunity, why not go for it. All they’re trying to do is help you and your future. It’s something positive, and nothing negative.” – Lebanon Valley junior guard Sammy Diaz on the Lebanon Valley Educational Partnership.

“He was an intergral part of what Cedar Crest athletics became. He was inolved with a lot of decision-making and the setting up of programs. I think he had a very strong interest in athletics. I knew him as being very complex. He was a competitive person and I always admired the way he was able to channel his athletic nature in coaching.” – Frank Kuhn on Ernie Firestone.

“All of it is relevant to who is out there. I have had better teams, but I knew there were some pretty good teams we were going to run into. But relevant to what’s out there, we can compete with them. And I hope they (her players) feel that way. We haven’t talked about how good we can be,” Hower continued. “If we win our three games next week, we’d be 10-1. That’s pretty good. We have an opportunity and we want to take advantage of it. But we’ve got to get better.” – Lebanon Catholic girls’ basketball head coach Patti Hower on just how good her 2011-12 club can be.

“It’s something we taught, about being a leader. It’s not just talk. You lead by example and by your actions. We lost our composure there. We’ve all played the game, but you can’t become frustrated over calls.” – Lebanon girls’ basketball coach Ben Brewer after two of his senior received technical fouls in the fourth quarter of a loss to Cocalico.

“I think we are still trying to figure it out. We’ve been mixing it up on offense and defense. We’re trying to find out one or two things that we do good and go from there. Technically, we only have one kid who had varsity expereince last year. So it’s a matter of finding combinations.” – Elco girls’ basketball coach Ashli Shay on the evolution of her squad.

“This rivalry is awesome. I was telling these guys all week how special this is. And they treated this week special. When we got to the locker room tonight they told me they could feel that it was special. I preached to them (his players) respect them (the Cedars) and respect the rivalry. ‘You’ve got to go out there, take a deep breath and take it all in. It was fun. The looks on their faces after the game, you could tell it was awesome.” – Cedar Crest boys’ basketball coach Tommy Smith on his team’s rivalry with Lebanon.

“I can see it (the intensity of the rivalry) when we do the Cedar Bowl. And I can see it when we play in boys and girls basketball. The rivalry in those sports is intense. Do I have a sense of it? Yes I do. I do understand the intensity of it.” – Cedar Crest ahletic director John Shaffer on the rivalry with Lebanon High.

 

 

 

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