On January 21st, the Tribe rallied after a tough loss the previous evening, for a commanding 66-6 victory at Cedar Crest.

"We filled all 13 weight classes, and rebounded from the heart-breaking dual meet against Elizabethtown," celebrated head coach Nick Evans.

The club did not just fill the 13 weight classes, they dominated them, winning an impressive 12-of-13 bouts.

A collection of seven falls were featured on the mat as Mason Ober (172), Joel Grillo (189), Garrett Blake (215), Nicoli Brotzman (285), Landon Keller (120), Taj Younger (126), and Ian Brown (138) each pinned their opponents.

Noah Hinkel's battle at 113 pounds, along with Andrew Small at 152, both produced a decision win for the Indians, and Nathan Smith (106), John Holmes (160), and Silas Mumper (145) yielded points due to Falcon forfeits.

In additional nonleague action, the Indians took a Saturday trip to Cocalico to participate in a tri-meet, coming up with wins over Northeastern 61-9, and Cocalico 37-36.

Combined with experience gained on the mat, the meet afforded the Indian grapplers the opportunity to battle down to a final tie-breaking point against Cocalico.

Once the dust settled, both teams had accrued 36 points leading to a tie-breaker decision based on the total number of bouts won. Donegal's success in 7-of-13 weight classes earned them the edge.

A massive boost to that success came in the latter half of bouts when three Donegal falls and a forfeit garnered 24 consecutive Indian points.

Hinkle pinned his opponent at 113 to kickstart the streak, followed by Keller's fall at 120. Younger walked across the mat for an uncontested six points, and Landen Baughman kept momentum churning with a fall at 132.

"We really had some of our young guys rise to the occasion," praised Evans. "It was great to watch these guys close out the dual meet."

BOYS' BASKETBALL

It's been a tough stretch for Indians basketball, still in the hunt for their first win, and falling 53-35 to Lancaster Catholic on January 22nd.

The Crusaders, who sport an undefeated league record of 5-0, jetted out to a 21-10 lead after the first period, but a scrappy Donegal squad turned the tables in the third quarter dishing out a 14-10 run of their own.

Despite that strong effort, and a tight 8-7 fourth period, Donegal was unable to overcome the deficit.

"While we are disappointed in our record, our players continue to work hard and we are improving," encouraged head coach Kevin Dolan.

Lead scorer Khalil Masden knocked in a dozen for the Indians, including a four-of-seven showing at the line, and Jaden Fabian put in another nine points.

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Still in search of a tally in the win column, the Lady Indians continue to make progress, netting their highest offensive effort in a recent loss to Conestoga Valley, 60-48, on January 25.

The early moments of the Monday contest reflected a 10-6 Donegal lead, but the Buckskins hit their stride in the second to surge ahead on an 18-8 run that gave them enough cushion to ride out a closely contested second half.

While the final score favored the Bucks, Donegal had some notable achievements including a season-high, and game-high, 17-point total from junior Victoria Burton. Sophia Floyd's 12 points and another 11 from Madeline Gohn, gave Donegal three athletes in double digits, a nod to their improvement in diversifying their attack.

Burton also stepped up to lead the scoring with 11 Donegal points in the previous Saturday's, 44-24, loss to Northern Lebanon.