Taylor Geib

Manheim Central tight end Taylor Geib capped a big junior season by earning honors on the Pennsylvania Sports Writers All-State Triple-A squad last week.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound star was a major threat in the Barons’ offense this fall, hauling in a team-best 53 receptions for 1,063 yards (20.1 avg.) and 11 touchdowns from Manheim Central quarterback Colin Fry to claim his first All-State recognition.

Geib helped the Barons finish second in Section Two with a 6-1 record and then advance to the District Three Triple-A playoff quarter-finals before ending the season with a 9-3 overall record.

The All-State teams were selected by sports writers who cover high school football in Pennsylvania.

By: BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor, Staff Writer

Record Express file photoSenior Liz Wenger (left) was a key part of Warwick's success this fall after moving from forward to the center mid position.

Liz Wenger didn’t necessarily have the kind of offensive stats that would have placed her among the L-L League leaders this fall.

But opponents of Warwick’s field hockey team certainly know what the junior center midfielder brought to the field.

"Anyone who played us, they know," Warwick coach Bob Derr said.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to L-L insiders that Wenger received First-Team All-State recognition after helping to lead the Lady Warriors to the League and District Three Triple-A playoffs.

"That was pretty exciting," Derr remarked. "We moved her from a forward position which she played (in 2011) as a sophomore into the center midfield position. That and your center backs are pretty much the quarterbacks of the team. (That says a lot) because they’ve got to control the middle. You want to make sure your middle of the field is strong."

By: BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor, Staff Writer

For the most part, the Manheim Central girls have played their opponents tough this winter.

The Lady Barons lost by just six points to both Columbia and Annville-Cleona.

They fell by only one point to Conestoga Valley.

Now, the young Central girls must find a way to get over the hump.

In their final game before the Christmas break last Friday night, Manheim Central got another opportunity to do that when it hosted Section Three contender Northern Lebanon. And although they trailed by as few as seven points with 5:54 left in the fourth quarter, the Lady Barons came up a little bit short to 6-foot-0 senior and Northern Lebanon by a score of 47-39 in a Section Three game in Manheim.

"We’re in all of our basketball games," said MC coach Dan Cotchen, whose squad fell to 0-4 in league play (1-7 overall). "I feel bad for them. We just can’t get over that hump. That’s a confidence thing. They haven’t experienced that confidence yet. When they do experience it, that may be the change that we’re looking for."

By: BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor, Staff Writer

Photo by Preston WhitcraftWarwick senior Ryan Gray clams a headlock on Hempfield's Carlos Castilloveita in the 170-pound weight class last Thursday. Gray won by fall in a time of 1:09.

Tom Devenney was quick to admit it.

As the Warwick wrestling team hosted Hempfield in its Section One opener last Thursday, the senior heavyweight couldn’t help but to think back to the Warrior football team’s 22-14 loss to to the Knights in October.

And it wouldn’t be a mistake to say that it helped fuel him in his match against junior Joey Goodhart in a showdown between returning District Three Triple-A qualifiers.

"It was definitely on my mind," Devenney said. "We were up 14-0 at half, we were playing our butts off. We came out the second half, made three mistakes and they scored three touchdowns off of those. And it was the difference in the game. He’s a football player, I’m a football player, I sorta wanted a little bit of redemption and a little bit of saving face."

Consider it done.

We continue to gather photos for our next It’s All About You section. The theme is Holiday Traditions. Deadline for submissions is Dec. 28, and your photos will be published in our Jan. 10 edition.

Send your high-resolution jpegs to Stephen Seeber at sseeber.eph@LNPnews.com. Photos can also be dropped off at our Ephrata office or mailed to P.O. Box 527, Ephrata, PA 17522.

When submitting photos, please include all necessary identifications and your contact information (in case we have any questions). Submitted information should include names of those in the photos, your local connection, where and when the photos were taken, and identity of the photographer.

Please limit the number of submitted photos to three.

By: RICHARD REITZ Record Express Correspondent, Staff Writer

Warwick schools have been and will continue to be safe and secure for all students, and no changes to security measures are being planned at this time.

That is what Warwick School District Superintendent Dr. April Hershey affirmed at the Warwick School Board meeting Tuesday, in the wake of the tragic shooting deaths of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. last Friday.

Dr. Hershey addressed questions her office has received regarding safety and security at the district’s six school buildings.

"Warwick School District has extensive and comprehensive safety and security plans, which are evaluated and re-evaluated throughout each year," she explained.

She said Warwick received a Regional Emergency Management grant two years ago, which allowed the district to rewrite its plans with the assistance of emergency management professionals.

"Tactical live and table top drills have taken place to equip students and staff with the skills and knowledge necessary to respond to a variety of emergency situations," she said.

Sharing specific details publicly about the district’s emergency management plans is prohibited by federal law, she added.

Dereck Taylor Holt

He posed as an insurance salesman to gain access to their home, and then unleashed his anger toward Mennonites on three elderly women.

He incapacitated them with a stun gun, punched them in the face, destroyed their Bibles, and bound and gagged his victims before fleeing the scene. That’s just a summary, taken from a long criminal complaint, of what happened in Clay Township on Dec. 14.

Northern Lancaster County Regional Police arrested Dereck Taylor Holt, 22, of no fixed address, at 6 p.m. Dec. 15 in association with the previously mentioned home invasion and robbery that occurred at 9 a.m. in the 300 block of Indiantown Road.

Three women between the ages of 84 and 90 remain hospitalized after being assaulted. Police were notified Dec. 14 at 4:23 p.m. after a relative had discovered the women bound and restrained inside the home, which had been ransacked. Household chemicals were used to cover flooring, furniture and other surfaces within the home.

By: MRS. CLAUS Special to the Record, Staff Writer

Santa and I were very happy that so many children came to visit the caboose on Saturday! We spoke with 65 little ones who all … well, nearly all, were excited and ready to tell Santa about their Christmas wishes.

This week, quite a few children asked for Barbies, all sorts of Legos, Play-Doh, board games, movies, iPods, iPads (Santa feels very strongly that children must be a little older to receive these), American dolls, kids’ cameras, stuffed animals, skateboards and scooters. High on the lists were drum sets and remote-controlled helicopters (please note that Santa always reminds the children that with these two items, it is a must that they play with them only when mom and dad say it’s okay). I must add that we were delighted to hear a few brand new requests.

Emily, a sweet 10-year-old, quietly asked Santa for a new bike (and Santa suggested a new helmet), a new doll and cleaning supplies for cleaning her room (we both thought that perhaps her mother might have influenced that last request).

By: RON REEDY Special to the Record Express, Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Ron ReedyIn 1945, Burgess Victor Wagner suggested lighting up the entire central section of Lititz in honor of local soldiers returning from World War II.

Christmas in Lititz is not complete without the classic star ornaments on the downtown streetlights. This year marks their 75th anniversary as a local tradition.

The first known community Christmas tree appeared at the Lititz Memorial Square in 1915, marking the start of Christmas decorations in downtown Lititz. In 1936, the decorations went beyond Memorial Square as two evergreen trees were attached to each of the 40 Washington Boulevard light standards in the business section. They were illuminated at night with different colored light bulbs. The Lititz Chamber of Commerce was the originator of this new Yuletide decorative treatment.

For the first time, in 1937, through the efforts of the Chamber, 10 large star-shaped frames with colored lights (symbolic of Moravian stars) were placed throughout the Memorial Square area.

By: GARY P. KLINGER Record Express Correspondent, Staff Writer

The last Lititz Borough Council meeting of the year brought bad news for a local landmark, but there were a few agenda items worth smiling about. Council voted unanimously to pass its 2013 municipal budget without a tax increase, staying at 2.1 mills.

That makes Lititz the second lowest tax rate among Lancaster County boroughs, bested only by Ephrata at 2.07 mills. But with projected revenues of $4.5 million outpaced by expected expenses of $4.8 million, the deficit will be covered through a transfer from the reserve fund.

"This is just a no fluff budget," said council member Kevin Zartman. "We are all but $3,000 ahead going in to the very end of the year."

Borough manager Sue Ann Barry also commented on the new budget.

"Our biggest purchase for 2013 will be the new radio system for our police and emergency services, and a new sewer truck," she said. "Replacing the truck is long overdue."