The old saying, "There is a first time for everything," most likely had nothing to do with basketball, much less high school boys' basketball but it still applies to Manheim Central. The Barons used a 49-46 semifinal win in the Lancaster-Lebanon League Championships to earn their first ever finals trip but the 'firsts' ended there as Hempfield posted a 57-46 win to claim the L-L crown.

The championship tilt started well for Central with Manheim jumping out to a 12-8 lead after the opening frame. The Black Knights controlled the second frame, doubling the Barons, 16-8, giving Hempfield a 24-20 lead at the break.

A slim 16-15 edge in the third for Manheim put the teams just three points apart with eight minutes remaining. Hempfield controlled those eight minutes, outsourcing Manheim Central 18-10 during the frame, making it a 57-46 final.

Trey Grube netted a team high 19 while Zachary Benner finished with 10 as the only other double-digit scorer.

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Having already bowed out of the L-L tournament the Lady Baron hoopsters shifted their focus to the District 3-5A playoffs where Section Two foe, Warwick, was waiting. Central had little trouble dispatching the Lady Warriors, collecting a 47-26 victory that earned them a district quarterfinal game as well as a PIAA-5A playoff game.

Maddie Knier was the star of the show as the lone player in double figures. The senior's 19 points were not only the game's high mark, but also pushed her career total to 1952 points, moving her past Hilary Waltman and into first place on Manheim Central's all-time scoring list.

BOWLING

Central's bowling team, like the rest of the L-L League, split their time between Palmyra Bowling and Leisure Lanes for the singles portion of the post-season. Up first were the Lady Barons and the girl's singles championship at Palmyra on the 16th. Hailey Kowalski tallied 825 pins over her six qualifying games, placing her 23rd in the final standings. Sara Lewis was two spots back in 25th thanks to her 794-qualifying tally.

Over on the boy's side, it was Ethan Howard taking the top spot for Manheim, finishing 30th after a 1013 qualifying score. Jesse Hurst was two spots back in 32nd with his 1008 while Landan Statts finished 47th after his 951-qualifying round.

WRESTLING

What do you get when you send 12 Manheim Central wrestlers to compete in the District 3-3A Sectional round at Hempfield High School? You end up with seven podium finishes, including five that will move on thanks to their top four finishes.

Brett Barbush was the top Baron, grabbing gold at 160 with a perfect 3-0 day. Barbush opened with pinfall wins over Devin Forney (Elizabethtown) and Gabe Sanchez (Warwick) before using a 14-4 major decision win over Central Dauphin's Michael Beers to capture gold.

Braxton Keiffer just missed joining Barbush atop the medal stand, settling for silver after a 114-pound finals loss to Manheim Township's Kaedyn Williams. Keiffer's two wins came over Luke Hitchcock (Central Dauphin) and Palmyra's Joshua Smith.

Manheim's other Keiffer, Barrett, ended up one spot lower on the podium, finishing third in the 127-pound bracket after his 4-1 day. Barrett opened with wins over Justin Oliver (Manheim Township) and Ben Farr (Hershey) but had his title hopes derailed with a semifinal loss to Hempfield's Seamus Mack. Rebound wins over Palmyra's Xavier Hoffer and the bronze clinching win over E-town's Austin Reitmeyer followed.

Two Barons enjoyed fourth place runs at Hempfield starting with Brodie Daugherty at 172. The sophomore went 2-2 on the day starting with a win over Hershey's Matthew Locklier. Daugherty fell to eventual champ Kevin Olavarria (McCaskey) in the semifinals but rebounded with a win over Central Dauphin's Arthur Ruud to stay alive. A loss to Lampeter-Strasburg's Jaiden Newton in the consolation finals left Daugherty holding the fourth-place medal.

Wyatt Kupres was the other fourth place finisher, doing so at 285. Kupres opened with a win over Penn Manor's Carter Rachor but saw his title hopes crushed by a quarterfinal loss to Donegal's Nicholai Brotzman, the eventual champ. Kupres ripped off three straight wins to land in the consolation finals where Lampeter-Strasburg's Treson Spahr came out on top. Those three straight wins were over Caleb Rainey (Susquehanna Township), Ryan Hottenstein (Elizabethtown) and Cory Schaffer (Hershey).

Manheim Central also collected two fifth place finishes, one from Noah Templin and the other from Blake Fasnacht. Templin did his work in the 215-pound bracket, going 4-2 on the day. Templin opened with a win over Hempfield's Nicky Bruno only to fall out of the championship bracket with a loss to McCaskey's Jose Garcia. Wins over Susquehanna Township's Rayshawn Johnson and Hershey's David Essis led to a setback opposite Tyler Quinter (Milton Hershey). That loss dropped Templin into the fifth-sixth place match which he won over Central Dauphin's Luke Nye.

Fasnacht earned his fifth-place medal at 107, going 2-2 in the process. The sophomore opened with a loss to Penn Manor's Riley Evans while ending his time at Hempfield with a win over Journie Rodriguez to nab fifth place. In between was a win over Milton Hershey's William Olson and a loss to Solanco's Caden Rutt.

Rocco Daugherty picked up Manheim's final podium finish, taking sixth at 189 pounds. The senior opened with a win over Palmyra's Kadin Jones but consecutive losses to Bryson Cantrell (McCaskey) and Eli Poyer (Central Dauphin) set up a rematch with Jones that went to the Palmyra junior.

The four remaining Barons combined for four wins before seeing their season come to an end. Logan Forrest went 2-2 in the 152-pound bracket with wins over Milton Hershey's William Dick and McCaskey's Eh Klu Soe. AJ Hondru (145) and Jake Hess (139) had one win each while Cody Hess (133) was unable to crack the win column. Hondru's win came over Lampeter-Strasburg's Josh Heisey while Jake Hess picked up his victory by pinning Solanco's Andrew Smith.