Despite approaching the finish line, the Manheim Central swimming teams find themselves in rough water after losses to Ephrata, Elizabethtown and Lampeter-Strasburg have the Barons a combined 1-11.

The loss to Lampeter-Strasburg happened on the 17th with the boy's side coming ever so close in a 76-74 loss while the Lady Baron were outdistanced, 110-39.

Ashley Mellinger accounted for two of Central's three wins on the girls' side, claiming the 100-breaststroke and 200 IM. Chloe Enck added a win in the 50-free.

For the boys it was Bryce Garber pulling double duty with wins in the 100-free and 100-back. Chase Kirchner added a win in the 100-breastroke to go along with Manheim's 200- and 400-free relay wins.

Manheim Central dropped their January 12th meet opposite Ephrata with the boy's falling 109-55 and the girl's 121-17.

The Barons first meet of 2023 took place on the 10th with the boys falling to Elizabethtown, 107-56, and the girls, 127-33. Mellinger collected the only two wins for the Lady Barons, taking the top spot in the 100-breaststroke and 100-fly. Anderson Pilsner (200 IM) and Garber (100-free) split the two wins on the boy's side.

WRESTLING

The wrestling team hit the 'dual match' tournament circuit the last few weeks, going 3-2 at the Indian Duals on the 7th and 2-1 at the Mifflin County Duals on the 14th. Manheim's wins on the 7th came over Panther Valley (60-15) and Stroudsburg (37-21) plus a 33-33 'criteria' win over Lehighton Area thanks to most match wins. Their losses were to Whitehall (40-36) and Honesdale (45-19).

One week later the Barons topped South Western (48-21) and Tyrone Area (39-27) but missed an undefeated day thanks to a 46-19 loss to Mifflin Country.

In between Central posted a 35-28 win over Elizabethtown on the 11th. Manheim won seven of the 13 matches, including four straight that turned a 28-18 deficit into the 35-28 win. Brett Barbush (160), Brodie Daugherty (172), Rocco Daugherty (189) and Noah Templin (215) were responsible for the match sealing run. Blake Fasnacht (106), Braxton Keiffer (113) and Cody Hess (132) kept Central in the match with their pinfall wins.

Manheim Central added a lopsided 63-6 win over Garden Spot on the 18th. Jake Hess (138), AJ Hondru (145), Barbush (160), Brodie Daugherty (172), Templin (215) all earned pinfall wins while Fasnacht (106), Luke Gibble (120) and Hess (132) enjoyed forfeit wins. Braxton Keiffer added a tech fall win at 113, Logan Forrest a major decision at 152 with Rocco Daugherty (189) and Barrett Keiffer (126) tacking on standard decisions.

BOWLING

The bowling team suffered their second loss of the season on January 6th, falling to Hempfield 7-0. The Barons did counter that loss with matching 7-0 wins over Lancaster Mennonite on the 5th and Garden Spot on the 11th.

AIR RIFLE

The air rifle team hit a bump in their march to the top of the league standings courtesy of a 497-496 loss to Manheim Township on the 10th. Nate Sauder and Aubrey Myers posted perfect scores while Kyria Martin and Natalia Winkler just missed with their 99s. Caleb Creviston completed the top five with a 98.

Manheim got back to winning on the 12th, topping Ephrata 493-489. Martin, Creviston and Winkler gave the Barons a trio of 99s while Sauder and Myers posted 98s.

Another trio of 99s gave Central a 491-488 win over Conestoga Valley on the 5th. Martin, Sauder and Winkler compiled that trio while Andrew Waddington (97) and Genna Eberly (97) rounded out the top five.

The Barons needed their top seven shooters in their January 17th showdown with Garden Spot that ended with Central on top 691-690. Martin, Sauder, Eberly, Creviston and Kyler Groff all had 99s with Gabby Fittery and Winkler completing the win with their 98s.

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Most teams riding a six-game winning streak would have difficulty pointing to the most important game or two in that run but that is not the case for the Lady Baron hoopsters. Manheim can point to the January 6th win over Ephrata and the January 17th win over Warwick as the two most important for the simple reason...they are the two teams directly below Central in the Section Two standings.

Those two wins combined with victories over Solanco, Spring Grove and Fleetwood have the Lady Barons atop those Section Two standings and sporting a 12-3 overall mark.

Against Ephrata it was a slow and steady approach that earned a 31-17 win. Manheim outscored the Lady Mountaineers in all but one quarter to build that 14-point final margin. Maddie Knier netted a team high 15 points.

A slow start on the 10th saw Manheim trail Solanco 7-2 after the opening frame but a 40-26 run over the final three quarters gave Central a 42-34 win. Knier posted another 15-point game while Abbie Reed hit double digits with 10 points.

One night later the Lady Barons used a 20-7 second quarter spurt to turn a tight one-point affair into a cakewalk. Add in the 28-16 second half edge and you get a 62-38 victory over Spring Grove. Knier dropped 28 in the win while Reed added 16 points.

Manheim continued their venture outside the L-L, posting a 65-25 win over Fleetwood on the 14th. Knier (25-points), Reed (12-points) and Kaylie Kroll (10-points) helped propel Central to a double-digit scoring edge in three of the four quarters.

Knier continued her hot stretch with a 26-point effort that helped Manheim Central to a 52-25 win over Warwick on the 17th. The Lady Barons were able to coast through the second half thanks to a 29-9 cushion at halftime. Kroll added 13-points in the win.

BOYS' BASKETBALL

The boys' basketball team is just as hot, riding a seven-game winning streak to a 12-2 overall record and a first-place spot in the Section Two standings.

The Barons needed overtime to vanquish Warwick on the 17th, using a 15-8 edge in the extra frame to collect a 67-60 win. Manheim opened with a 12-9 edge but ended up in overtime thanks to a 43-40 Warwick edge over the final three quarters. Trey Grube netted 21 while Aaron Enterline (11) and Zach Benner (10) also reached double-digits.

No extra session was needed for Manheim's 67-57 win over Fleetwood on the 14th, just a strong second half surge. That surge was needed with Central trailing 39-35 at the break. Grube and his 23 points led a second half charge that turned that four-point deficit into a 10-point win.

Manheim's January 11th trip to York County ended with the Barons claiming a 67-54 win over Spring Grove. Sam Witmer stepped to the front of the line with a 20-point night while Grube (17-points) and Enterline (14-points) helped fuel a 44-31 second half burst.

Manheim Central nabbed an easy win on the 6th, topping Ephrata 54-37. Central picked up the bulk of their margin thanks to a 20-8 edge in the second and third frames, filling in with a 34-29 advantage in the first and fourth frames. Grube was the lone player in double figures with 25-points.

Central's January 10th tilt opposite Solanco was never really in doubt with Grube dropping 31 points pushing Manheim to a 28-16 halftime lead on their way to the 58-43 win.