Not all wins will clinch a playoff spot, secure a championship or even propel a team to more victories but sometimes they do. Take the Manheim Central girls basketball team and their 64-30 demolition of Solanco on February 3rd. It was the Lady Barons 11th straight win and ensured Central the outright Section Two title, earning Manheim a spot in the L-L playoffs.

Central controlled all four quarters, starting with a 16-3 romp through the opening frame. Solanco was able to get their offense going in the second and third quarters, scoring a combined 21 points but that was not enough as Manheim was busy adding 33 to their opening tally. Add in a 15-6 fourth quarter run and the Lady Barons enjoyed a 34-point victory. Maddie Knier netted a game high 21 while Kaylie Kroll added 14 and Abbie Reed 10.

Manheim Central kept their winning streak intact with an impressive 40-17 win over Lampeter-Strasburg on the 4th. That pushed the streak to 12 straight with wins in 18 of their last 19 games, after opening the season 0-2.

Knier was the lone Lady Baron in double digits with another 21-point effort. The bulk of that work came in the opening quarter with Knier scoring 11 during the 13-0 blitz. Lampeter-Strasburg was able to get on the board in the second, but Manheim still stretched their lead to 23-5 at the break. An 8-8 third frame led into a 9-4 Central run to close out the contest and give the Lady Barons the 40-17 win.

BOWLING

The regular season came to a close for the bowling team with wins over Garden Spot and Ephrata pushing Central to a 72-40 mark while securing a spot in the Lancaster-Lebanon League Team Championships.

The Barons closed out the regular season on February 7th with a 7-0 win over Ephrata. A few days prior, Central slipped by Spot 5-2. Jesse Hurst improved each game to finish with a 559 series while Ethan Howard started with a 211 and fished with a 171, giving the senior a team high 587 series. Landen Statts was the final Baron to break 500, posting games of 157, 170 and 210 to finish with a 537. Hailey Kowalski was the final three game bowler, posting a 498. Asher Harris (359) and Aston Fritz (123) teamed up to cover the final scoring slot for Manheim.

SWIMMING

"It was great to end the regular season with wins!" was the simple summary head coach Heather Fittery offered when asked about the Barons double wins over Lancaster Catholic on February 2nd. The boys claimed a 92-38 victory while the Lady Barons posted a 61-43 win.

Manheim took two of the three relays on the boys' side with Anderson Pilsner, Chase Kirchner, Bryce Steach and Bryce Garber opening the meet with a win in the 200-medley relay. Ryan Moreno joined Kirchner, Pilsner and Garber to take the 200-free relay in 1:41.39 for Manheim's second and final relay victory. Pilsner added solo wins in the 100-butterfly and 200 IM while Garber enjoyed wins in the 50-free and 100-backstroke. Avery Kirchner also nabbed two events wins, taking the 200-free and 500-free while Chase Kirchner tacked on one last win in the 100-breaststroke.

The Lady Barons claimed the same two relay events with Samara Bucher, Anna Horst, Ashley Mellinger and Chloe Enck teaming for the 200 medley relay. Gabrielle Fittery joined Enck, Horst and Mellinger for the 200-freestyle relay. Mellinger added solo wins in the 100-butterfly and 200 IM with Fittery matching the double with her 100-free and 200-free victories. Enck accounted for the final win, taking the 50-freestyle.

RIFLE

The rifle team wrapped up the regular season with a win over Manheim Township and a loss to Ephrata, putting the Barons in a three-way tie for first place with the Blue Streaks and Mountaineers. Central was poised to take the title outright thanks to a 596-595 win over Township on February 2nd but a 496-495 loss to Ephrata on the 7th squashed those outright title hopes, forcing Manheim Central to share the crown.

The two Manheim schools needed six shooters to decide a winner with Alexa Hoffman's 99 the deciding score. Natalia Winkler, Andrew Waddington and Kyria Martin matched Hoffman's 99 while Genna Eberly and Caleb Creviston led the way with perfect 100s.

The regular season came to a close on the 7th with that one point loss to Ephrata putting Manheim at 10-4 on the year. Eberly posted another perfect match with Martin joining her. Creviston posted the lone 99 with Nate Sauder and Aubrey Myers joining the scorers with their 98s.

BOYS' BASKETBALL

The boys' basketball team stepped out of the L-L to kick off February, hosting Kennard-Dale on the 1st. The Rams survived 36 points from Trey Grube to slip out of town a 68-66 winner. Grube drilled seven from long range with his offense helping Central to a quick 16-6 lead as well as a 20-18 edge in the final frame. In between Kennard-Dale managed a 44-30 advantage that secured the two-point victory. Sam Witmer added 11 in the loss.

The Barons returned to the L-L for a February 3rd clash with Solanco. Central used a 24-7 romp through the opening frame to take control, tacking on a 13-3 second quarter run for good measure. Solanco was able to trim that 37-10 halftime lead just a bit with a slim 10-8 edge in the third, but Manheim regrouped for a 9-5 advantage in the fourth, putting the final at 54-25. Grube netted a team high 17 while Aaron Enterline chipped in with 13 points.