By Giuliano Favorito Staff Writer It’s that time of year again for lacrosse head coach Stephan Striffler’s team and there’s only one thing on their mind: the state playoffs. This is a feat that no team in the York/Adams county has ever accomplished. Nevertheless Striffler is confident his team is more than capable of getting to the promised land. “We have a very balanced team,” Striffler said. “We can score. Our three attackers are excellent and our defense is fantastic.” That attack is led by senior Tanner Reif, junior Jac Gemmill, and sophomore Sam Emig. Senior Joe Dashler and junior Pat Stafford stand tall in defense. “The chemistry we have allows us to be so successful,” said senior Tanner Reif. “Just knowing where each other are on the field and having good stick skils to be able to make the plays helps us score goals for our team.” Although the state playoff is the ultimate goal, the team does have some stepping stones to make before they can get there. Those stones include making and winning the York/Adams playoffs and reaching districts. Among personal goals for Striffler he would like to beat the teams he has never beaten in his three years at the helm ; Dallastown, Central and Susquehannock. But, Coach Striffler wants to make one thing clear; he does not want to win only as a team but as a school. He has a challenge for Red Lion students. “Come to our games, jump up and down, yell and scream, and make a heck of a lot of noise.” On Apr. 23 students can do just that at Horn Field at 7:00 PM when the lacrosse team clashes head to head with Susquehannock.
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By Taylor Bosley Sports Editor Each year the Red Lions girls lacrosse team picks new captains. This year the three girls chosen, which are picked by leadership ability and skill according to Coach Steve Unger, were senior Kasey Lewis and juniors Jenna Godfrey, and Emily Robbins. As captains, the girls have various responsibilities. “Captains responsibilities include, leading the team in pregame and warm up drills,” head coach Steve Unger said. Senior captain Kasey Lewis views her role as captains as a multi responsibility duty. “As a captain my leadership is to get my team focused and mind set for the game,” Lewis said. “To tell my teammates that we will win, play strong and never give up and play hard until the last buzzer goes off.” Along with assuring her coach, Lewis is set on being a good role model for her other team members. “My responsibilities are to assist my coach with anything he needs, I watch out for my teammates,” said Lewis, “I make sure I am a good role model to the underclassman and I make sure I come to every practice ready to play and I am fully dedicated to this sport.” Coach Unger views the captain position as also a position to encourage. “Captains are also there to encourage the team to do their best,” Coach Unger said. Lewis has various other likes about being a captain of the lacrosse team. From being in a position to motivate and someone to for other players to fall back on, being a captain is something she enjoys. “I also try hard to be a loyal friend as well as a strong leader for my team,” Lewis said. Since this is Lewis’s last year on the team there are aspects of the game that she hopes to pass down to the underclassmen. She hopes the girls hold responsibility for their actions and for them to be a “strong and respectful role model.” Lewis also said she wants them to “never give up, always believe in yourself and always strive for greatness, always give 100% on and off of the field because you’ll get out of it what you put in.” Lewis had one last piece of advice for the underclassmen. “Have faith in yourself and play every game like it’s your last,” Lewis said. By Paul Jones
Staff Writer The boys volleyball team has a tough schedule planned for this season, but the young team is up for the challenge. Only two players are returning from a very experienced team from last year. Juniors John Longnecker and Bennett Frey are the only returning starters from the 2014 season. Head Coach Ashleigh Reinert talked about about how they fared their league and said, “We have a real good shot at being top three in the league.” Both Central York and Northeastern won state championships, so the Lions are in an extremely tough division. Coach Reinert said that in their league the team could go from third to seventh. The lions are in an extremely tough division with two state champion teams. “All my starters except for Bennett (Frey) and John (Longnecker). And John is going to be playing a different position than he did last year,” said coach Reinert. The team does have some very talented players here and should win a lot of games. This is a team filled with juniors, so while it may look a little inexperienced, it is built for the future. Juniors Dillon Hildebrand, Bennett Frey, and John Longnecker will be some major threats on the court this year. The team also has a very promising freshman, Cole Brillhart, that will be a staple in Red Lion Volleyball for years to come. By Kelsee Hunt Staff Writer It’s the beginning of spring, and that means track season is here. Despite injuries and the loss of last year’s seniors, the Red Lion track team has been working harder than before. “We are really looking forward to the postseason, getting into counties, districts, and states,” says Head Coach Todd Barshinger. Though the team lost notable seniors Amanda Myers, Cassidy Barshinger, Kylie Strong, Anna Haynie, David Kirkland, Alex Keller, Andrew Erickson, and Zack Dutton, many of last years district qualifiers will be returning. For the boys, Quincy Palmer, Eric Henshaw, Nate Orji, Kellen Wisniewski, Ethan Gatchell, and Judge Kunce will all be working toward a successful season. As for the girls, their district qualifiers last year were Angelica Gonzalez, Julia Kendrick, Tristan Schluderberg, and Jessica Lewis. The boys were 6-1 and the girls had an undefeated season with a record of 7-0. “I’m really looking forward to this season, especially since our previous seasons have been so successful,” senior captain Jessica Lewis said. So far, the only teams that seem to be a threat for Red Lion are Southwestern and Dallastown, but that isn’t a problem with Coach Barshinger, as he plans to not only defeat them but to end the season on another great note. This upcoming season will start in March and end in the beginning of May, and students are encouraged to come and support the Lions track team on their way to another successful year. By Helen Zeidman Staff Writer Even though the snow has barely melted from the courts, the boys’ tennis season is now in full swing. The team has 16 players this season, which is two players down from last year. According to Mrs. Vasellas, the head coach of the boys’ tennis team, they lost two starters from last year, Angel and Max Moyer. Regardless of the loss, Vasellas is hopeful for this season. “Sports have cycles over the years. One year is loaded with players, and the next you end up losing key players. That is just how it works,” Vasellas said. They may have lost a couple of players, but the team is still strong. The team is led by Sam Innerst, the first ranked player on the team. Innerst has been starting since his freshman year and has held the number one position since his sophomore year. Player ranking is determined by playing a series of challenge matches. Each player will challenge other players in matches and the winner will move up the ranking ladder. The players are ranked by the number of games they won against their teammates. This ranking determines who players will face off against on other teams. The number one players will play the number one player from the other team. The number two seed this year is Alec Shue, a freshman who made his debut on the team this year. Junior Alex Ohme plays as the third seed. Nicholas Stare, also a junior, is playing as the fourth seed on team, and senior Dylan Reichard is playing in the fifth spot. All of the top five seeds are expected to alternate for doubles varsity with Dylan Reichard and Chase McKnight. So far, Sam Innerst and Alec Shue, and Alec Gayrama and Nicholas Stare have been paired for doubles matches. Mrs. Vasellas has the same goal this year as every other year she coached. “Every year my goal is to win the championship. It is always a good goal to have even though it is not always realistic.” Vasellas said. “I don’t know what kind of coach I’d be without a goal.” The team came close to that goal last year, when they tied for third place in their division with Dallastown and New Oxford. Ultimately, Vasellas just wants the best for her team. “I look forward to the chance of bettering our record from last year.” Vasellas said. In order to make that goal happen, the team trains intensely, as playing tennis requires more than just hitting a ball with a racquet. The boys’ tennis team is on their way to do even better this year, but the successful group was not made overnight. Their practices during the season cater to the different skill levels of the players and help everyone improve. According to Vasellas, the practices start with a standard warm-up that includes stretching and running. Afterward, the team practices singles and doubles drills to perfect their technique. Then, the fun begins. “In each practice, we also try to include some singles and doubles play which helps prepare the players for match play,” Vasellas said. According to Mr. Small, an assistant coach of the team, the boys practice their skills all year. “We do a lot of off-season practicing,” Mr. Small, an assistant coach, said. “Players do clinics, lessons, and various other things to keep up.” When the weather makes it impossible to practice outside, the players continue to train indoors. “From December to the first day of practice, we go indoors at Wisehaven to play and practice,” Vasellas said. “This would be only one time per week for the students who want to participate however, several of the players take lessons or clinics or play in leagues in addition.” The summer is also a critical time for tennis training. “During the summer we have open courts where the players can work on skills and play,” Vasellas said. “We also had the players do strength training, conditioning and agility drills over the summer.” The players do not take the opportunity to train for granted. “This winter, I went to Wisehaven to practice with the team,” Levi Jones, a sophomore on the team, said. “I learned and became a lot better.” Tennis may be a lot of work, but the players think the work is worth being a together as a team. “I like the people that I got to meet on the team,” Jones said. “I have gotten to meet a lot of people who are of different backgrounds.” |
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