By: BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor bmorgan.eph@lnpnews.com, Staff Writer

Greta Weidemoyer had the green light to drive with the ball if she had it.

And the Warwick junior took advantage of the opportunity.

With the Warwick girls leading by just one in the late stages of their non-league opener against back-yard rival Manheim Central last Friday night, Weidemoyer scored on a layup with just 18 seconds left to help clinch a 27-25 win for the Lady Warriors in Manheim.

"It was huge," Warwick coach Amy Derr said. "It was a play that we’ve practiced. Actually, it wasn’t the way that it was supposed to go, but she made it work."

Given that it was the first of three games in a five-day stretch for the Lady Warriors — all on the road — that was certainly huge to get the team started on a winning note. Warwick suffered losses in their next two games, falling 48-35 to Muhlenberg on Monday and 38-31 to Section Three favorite Lampeter-Strasburg in non-league action.

The Lady Warriors also had their backs to the wall on Friday while committing 30 turnovers against the Central girls. They trailed by as many as five points in the third quarter, but outscored Manheim Central 6-1 down the stretch to pull it out.

By: BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor, Staff Writer

After three games, the Warwick boys are starting to form an identity.

They have shown themselves to be a solid team at the defensive end of the floor, allowing an average of 44.7 points per night in a stretch that included the fourth-ranked State Triple-A team (Berks Catholic) and the reigning District Three Triple-A bronze medalist (Lampeter-Strasburg).

The offense, so far, is another story.

Although the Warriors held a slim 8-7 edge after the first quarter against L-S on Tuesday in their home opener, they struggled against the Pioneers’ zone defense and suffered a 40-29 loss in a non-league game in Lititz.

"Three games in, I’m extremely pleased with our defense," Warwick skipper Jeff Landis said. "And offensively, we’ll continue to work and we’ll get better. And when shots go, this team is going to be able to compete with anyone. But we are going to have dry spells and we’ve got to come up with a way to limit them, in terms of how long they last."

By: BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor bmorgan.eph@lnpnews.com, Staff Writer

Warwick’s field hockey players just expected to hand in their gear after school on Monday and be on their way.

The girls weren’t really anticipating anything more than that.

A couple of the girls, though, got a lot more.

They received news from coach Bob Derr that they were selected as 2011 Harrow Sports/NFHCA High School All-Americans. Senior midfielder Alyssa Manley earned First-Team accolades, while senior keeper Alexis Charles and senior back Emily Harting both took home Second-Team honors.

"Coach Derr actually told me about five minutes after school ended," Manley said. "I was really surprised. I wasn’t expecting to get First-Team. If anything, I was expecting to get Second or Third-Team. It’s a huge honor just because they pick from people all over (the nation)."

Manley is Warwick’s first player to receive First-Team All-American accolades since Paige Laytos was honored in 2005. That same year, Meghan Beamesderfer claimed Second-Team All-American laurels, and then Meredith Way took Second-Team honors the following year in 2006.

By: BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor bmorgan.eph@lnpnews.com, Staff Writer

Warwick’s field hockey players just expected to hand in their gear after school on Monday and be on their way.

The girls weren’t really anticipating anything more than that.

A couple of the girls, though, got a lot more.

They received news from coach Bob Derr that they were selected as 2011 Harrow Sports/NFHCA High School All-Americans. Senior midfielder Alyssa Manley earned First-Team accolades, while senior keeper Alexis Charles and senior back Emily Harting both took home Second-Team honors.

"Coach Derr actually told me about five minutes after school ended," Manley said. "I was really surprised. I wasn’t expecting to get First-Team. If anything, I was expecting to get Second or Third-Team. It’s a huge honor just because they pick from people all over (the nation)."

Manley is Warwick’s first player to receive First-Team All-American accolades since Paige Laytos was honored in 2005. That same year, Meghan Beamesderfer claimed Second-Team All-American laurels, and then Meredith Way took Second-Team honors the following year in 2006.

By: BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor bmorgan.eph@lnpnews.com, Staff Writer

When Warwick’s Cody Shoenberger walked off the mats last February at the District Three Wrestling Championships, he did so with a sense of optimism.

Not only would Shoenberger be returning for another season, but he was coming back with two District wins under his belt.

The future is now, and with Warwick ready to dive in to the 2011-12 season, Shoenberger has the distinction of being the Warriors’ only returning District qualifier.

"We’re looking for a lot out of (Cody) this year," Warwick boss Ned Bushong admitted.

That is particularly the case with a young squad surrounding him — and with depth being a big concern this winter. Warwick lost eight starters from the squad that finished 3-3 in Section One last year and bring back only 21 wrestlers for 14 weight classes.

Among those who have moved on include District qualifiers Bryan McCall (37-7), Ian Stoeckl (20-17) and Dylan Stauffer (14-17), along with Cody Stockdale, Trevor Havemann and John Devenney.

Andrew Wenger Andrew Wenger, a 2009 Warwick grad and a junior at Duke University, is among the 28 players selected to participate in an eight-day training camp for the United States Under-23 Men’s Soccer National Team.

According to the Blue Devils’ website, Wenger and Duke sophomore Sebastien Ibeagha are the only two collegiate players selected by U-23 head coach Caleb Porter.

The Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. will be the site of the camp from Dec. 15-23. The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team was drawn into the Group A of the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament and will face Canada, Cuba and El Salvador.

The teams will play their group matches from March 22-26 at LP Field in Nashville, according to the website. The two finalists from the tournament will qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London next summer.

By: STEPHEN SEEBER Record Express Staff, Staff Writer

"We’re ready to go."

That was update from David Steffen, the chief of the new Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department.

The new force, which covers Warwick, Penn and Clay townships, will officially be up and running on Dec. 26.

From a historical perspective, Christmas Day 2011 will be the last that the Warwick Township Police Department exists. From that point on, policing outside the borough will embrace the regional approach. With that, according to Steffen, comes improved coverage through staggered shifts and a cost savings for all three municipalities.

The number of sworn officers, 24, will not change; however, Steffen said there will be more officers on patrol than in the past.

He also said savings, including overtime reduction and the elimination of duplicated efforts (one chief, instead of three, for example), will be immediate. Total cost savings, he added, could be realized within three years.

He said costs associated with the transition are about $90,000.

"But those costs are to be somewhat mitigated by active grant applications," he said. "And it’s also spread among three municipalities."

By: STEPHEN SEEBER Record Express Staff, Staff Writer

"We’re ready to go."

That was update from David Steffen, the chief of the new Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department.

The new force, which covers Warwick, Penn and Clay townships, will officially be up and running on Dec. 26.

From a historical perspective, Christmas Day 2011 will be the last that the Warwick Township Police Department exists. From that point on, policing outside the borough will embrace the regional approach. With that, according to Steffen, comes improved coverage through staggered shifts and a cost savings for all three municipalities.

The number of sworn officers, 24, will not change; however, Steffen said there will be more officers on patrol than in the past.

He also said savings, including overtime reduction and the elimination of duplicated efforts (one chief, instead of three, for example), will be immediate. Total cost savings, he added, could be realized within three years.

He said costs associated with the transition are about $90,000.

"But those costs are to be somewhat mitigated by active grant applications," he said. "And it’s also spread among three municipalities."

By: STEPHEN SEEBER Record Express Staff, Staff Writer

For the second December weekend in a row, downtown Lititz was bustling with holiday shoppers.

The first week got a boost from two well attended events — Christmas in the Park and Have Yourself A Merry Lititz Christmas.

The second enjoyed a busy turnout for 2nd Friday and the addition of a Christmas market in the historic Rudy building at 27-31 E. Main St.

With less than two weeks left before Christmas, the shopping interest should continue as local stores have designed some festive window displays — from the metallic snowmen at Cherry Acres, to the festive fireplace at Teddy Bear Emporium, to the award-winning storefront at Candyology. And history buffs will enjoy the framed Christmas 1979 streetscape in the window at Heavenly Soaps & Scents, which features former downtown businesses such as D.E. Furlow’s 5&10, Bingeman’s Restaurant and Spacht’s Furniture.

Spacht’s was located in the old Rudy building, a stately structure in the heart of downtown Lititz. It has been vacant for some time as owner Wes and Lisa Terry renovate. Last weekend, they opened the doors to the former town hall building.

By: STEPHEN SEEBER Record Express Staff, Staff Writer

Venture Lititz, the local organization focused on maintaining a vibrant downtown, is morphing into a regional entity.

And while it will continue to exist in some way, shape or form, its bylaws and non-profit status will used to create what will be known as the Regional Economic Development Commission (EDC).

With grant funding nearing its end for Venture Lititz, the regional approach to downtown vitalization is expected to attract more financial aid from the government. The focus will be on business retention and job creation.

"Venture Lititz is growing and changing to help other businesses/industry grow in our region," said Kelly Withum, Lititz’s downtown manager. "This is a very exciting time and we have been looking at this for quite some time."

The process of going regional with the downtown concept began about two years ago, according to Karen Weibel, president of Lititz Borough Council. The decision was made jointly by Lititz Borough, Warwick Township, Elizabeth Township, Warwick School District and Venture Lititz.

"The focus of the EDC will be different from Venture Lititz, but the two will still function," she explained. "Venture Lititz will continue to focus on the downtown."