The bulk of the Barons' swim team wrapped up their 2022-2023 season with a trip to Cumberland Valley High School on March 3rd and 4th, competing in the District 3-2A Championships. The lone exception was Ashley Mellinger who took gold in the only two events she swam.

"It was great to see her win two golds as a freshman," said head coach Heather Fittery, "She likes competition and should continue to improve throughout her high school years."

Mellinger's highlight win was in the 100-butterfly where her gold medal winning time of 57.22 was her fastest of the season and 1.7 seconds ahead of silver medalist Annie Gao of Schuylkill Valley. She was not able to post her best time of the season in the 200 IM win but her 2:11.45 was still over five seconds faster than Madelyn Blough of Trinity, leaving Fittery to say, "Neither race was close competition for her. States will be different, giving her some good competition to swim against."

A handful of other Barons joined Mellinger at Cumberland Valley, tallying four trips to the podium and a slew of personal best times. Anderson Pilsner and Bryce Garber led the podium charge, making three trips each. The pair, along with Chase Kirchner and Bryce Steach collected a sixth-place medal in the 200 IM relay thanks to a 1:48.08. Another relay medal came in the 200-freestyle with Garber and Pilsner getting help from Steach and Avery Kirchner, securing eighth place with a time of 1:38.02. The pair made their final podium run in an individual event but still ended up together on the 100-backstroke podium. Garber took sixth with his 58.05 and Pilsner seventh with a 58.09. Both came close to making another podium trip but fell short with Pilsner's 11th place finish in the 200 IM and Garber's 12th place run in the 50-freesytle.

The Barons had another near miss in the 400-freestyle where Chase Kirchner, Avery Kirchner, Ryan Moreno, and Caleb Bower finished ninth with a time of 3:51.97. Three of those four relay members branched out into solo events with mixed results. Moreno's 58.27 ended up 24th in the 100-freestyle, Chase Kirchner finished his 100-butterfly race in 1:00.85, good enough for 17th and added a 21st place run in the 100-breaststoke with a 1:11.41.

Avery Kirchner also took part in two events, finishing 13th in the 500-freestyle (5:29.24) and 16th in the 200-freestyle (2:02.75). Steach was the final Baron that added two solo events in the district meet, finishing 14th in the 100-butterfly (59.81) and 17th in the 100-backstroke (1:03.20).

BASKETBALL

Heartbreak, agony, anguish...all words that describe the Manheim Central boys' basketball team after a 67-53 setback denied the Barons their first ever District 3 title. The loss came on March 2nd at the Giant Center to Berks County's Exeter Township, a frequent participant of postseason high school sports, and left Central looking to regroup as they head off to the PIAA-5A tournament.

As for the district 5A final, the opening frame had the flow of a back and forth, nip/tuck style of game, leaving the two sides deadlocked at 13-13. Exeter mashed the gas at the start of the second quarter, tipping off a 19-10 run leading into the break. Manheim was able to shrink that 32-23 halftime deficit a bit with a 14-12 third quarter edge but the good times were short lived. The Eagles regained control of the game, leading to a 23-16 sprint to the final horn, leaving Manheim Central district runner-up for the second time in school history.

Trey Grube netted a team high 19 in the loss with Aaron Enterline the only other Baron in double digits with 14. Collin Neiles (seven points), Jackson Tracy (five points), Chase Book (five points) and Sam Witmer (three points) accounted for the remaining Manheim points.

On the same day the boys dropped their 5A final, the Lady Barons solidified their PIAA seed with a 53-38 romp over Lower Dauphin in Manheim. The win gave Central the fifth seed out of District 3, sending the Lady Barons into the western half of the PIAA-5A bracket.

The game never felt in jeopardy as Central came out hot with Maddie Knier collecting 11 of her game high 26 during Manheim's 19-6 opening quarter blitz. The Lady Falcons were able to hang with Central over the middle portion of the contest, trimming that 13-point cushion down to 11 heading into the final quarter. Once there Knier and company used a 17-13 edge to slam the door on Lower Dauphin and secure the win. Kaylie Kroll added 14 in the win while Payton Snyder (six points), Abbie Reed (five points) and Emma Hartman (two points) accounted for the remaining points.