Donegal wrestling sent eight grapplers to represent in the Sectional tournament held on Saturday, February 20, 2021 at Hempfield High School. Three of those athletes worked their way to place finishes and the team earned a collective seventh place.

Mason Ober, wrestling at 160 pounds, and Garrett Blake, at 215, fought their way through their respective brackets to claim the third-place honors for the Indians.

Ober's journey through the bracket kicked off with a first-round fall over McCaskey's Xavier Gates with 1:02 on the clock. Ober experienced a setback in his next bout, pitted against Wayde McClune of Central Dauphin who pinned Ober and sent him to the consolation bracket while McClune continued his pathway to second.

In the consolation bracket, Ober rallied for back-to-back major decision wins over Wade Adams of Solanco and Joel Bitler of Lampeter-Strasburg to propel him through the rankings to meet up with McClune again. Since the duo had met prior in the day, the earlier bout triumph boosted McClune to second and settled Ober in third.

Blake's trip produced a pair of falls against his first two opponents, Logan Pittman of Solanco and Parker Owens of Lampeter-Strasburg. Blake's first loss was doled out by the 215-pound champion Jose Garcia of McCaskey, in a 7-4 decision to determine the title. Blake next faced Nathaniel Mosey of Central Dauphin in the second-place bout where Mosey earned a 4-0 decision win.

In a year where the regular season was constantly jostled by COVID protocols, re-scheduled matches and an unprecedented number of forfeits, the post-season has not been immune to consequential changes. Typically, the top three grapplers from each weight class would advance to regional competition, but tightened procedures mean a smaller window of advancement, and only the top two per class will move on.

The disappointment of not being able to advance does not diminish the accomplishment of those athletes to reach the milestone finish, but is yet another tough aspect of an already challenging season.

"It was extra unique and more challenging this year than ever," noted head coach Nick Evans of the truncated post-season. "In a sport where we pride ourselves on overcoming adversity and coming back through the consolation bracket to take third to move on to the next round. It was difficult for me to process as well."

Rather than advancing, the third-place achievers become the first alternate if another wrestler has to pull out of the subsequent regional tournament.

The other six Donegal grapplers who represented the Indians at the Section two tournament included Noah Hinkle (113), Landon Keller (120), Taj Younger (126), Landon Baughman (138), Joel Grillo (172), and Nicholai Brotzman (285), with Grillo producing the next most successful run to finish fourth in the 172-pound division.

"I am extremely proud of our wrestlers this year," Evans went on to say. "They had to overcome tons of adversity. Sometimes it's not whether you win or lose, it's about the physical and mental process and all the things you learn that will help you throughout the rest of your life. That is why we wrestle."

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Opportunity, timing, and effort all play a role in athletic success, and while the first two variables have not panned out the way the Indians might have hoped, no one can deny the amount of effort the Donegal basketball teams have put in as they face the final weeks of the regular season.

A trio of losses for the Lady Indians marked a recent week-long stretch but didn't tell the full story of their improvement in each game.

Last Tuesday's 64-51 loss to Garden Spot displayed some of the Lady Indians best numbers of the season, including a season high 20 points from sophomore guard Sophia Floyd.

The evening's collective 51 points also marked the Indian's highest tally of the season, and they were pacing right alongside Garden Spot during three of four quarters, but a last-quarter 18-point surge from the Spartans pushed the contest just out of reach.

Donegal's Victoria Burton, a junior, netted an additional 13 for the Indian's cause and also led the team with eight the night before on a trip to Lampeter-Strasburg that ended 67-34 in favor of the Pioneers.

Floyd also paced the Indians with an eight-point contribution in the previous weekend's 59-29 loss while hosting the Crusaders of Lancaster Catholic.

BOYS' BASKETBALL

The boys' basketball team as faced similar hurdles in their season, proving that some years the effort, growth, and improvement cannot be measured in wins and losses.

Wednesday's trip to Manheim Central was the Indians first opportunity to compete in a week's time and the Indians fell to the Barons 70-49.

Top scorers for the Indians included 15 points for Levi Sites and 12 from Khalil Masden.

"It's been a challenging and unique year," acknowledged head coach Kevin Dolan. "But our players have continued to be engaged and resilient."

The club has been led by a group of seven seniors; Gavin Hawk, Connor Wilken, Luke Yunginger, Brandon Hauck, Ethan seidel, Levi Sites, and Xavier Cannon.

"This is a testament to the senior class who have continued to lead our team. I am proud of the way our players have continued to work and compete in light of all the difficulties we have encountered," Dolan commended.